Sir Patrick Moore on amateur astronomy

Speaking in July 2008, Sir Patrick Moore, who has died aged 89, said
amateurs have always played a very significant part in astronomy. He also spoke about meeting Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Sir Patrick presented BBC television's landmark "The Sky at Night" programme for more than 50 years, making him the longest-running presenter of a single show in broadcasting history.

He made his name as an amateur astronomer and went onto publish over 70 books on astronomy alongside his broadcasting career.

Speaking in an interview with Reuters in 2008, he said: "In astronomy, amateurs have always played a major part, and they still do. Amateurs do things professional astronomers don't want to do, haven't time to do or can't do. And the average amateur knows the sky a great deal better than the average professional. So, amateurs discover comets, novae and so on."

During his lifetime, he met the likes of Albert Einstein and Orville Wright. He also knew Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, of whom he said: "They're not the same. Neil and Buzz, the first two men on the moon, they're different kinds of people. Neil was quiet and retiring. Buzz, in the best sense of the word, a publicist."

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