Description
When I became the producer of the Sky at Night in 2002, I was given some friendly advice: “It’s a quiet little programme, not much happens in astronomy.” How wrong they were! It’s been a hectic and enthralling time ever since:, with missions arriving at distant planets; new discoveries in our Universe; and leaps in technology, which mean amateurs can take pictures as good as the Hubble Space Telescope. What a privilege it is to work on a programme with such a huge heritage! I am constantly amazed looking back at the flotilla of excellent programmes which have gone out over the past five decades. The Sky at Night has always been at the sharp end of science broadcasting, whether it’s showing the first view from the far side of the Moon or pictures of a new comet which has swept into our sky. Viewers can depend on Sir Patrick to tell them the latest news and explain what it means. It’s an outstanding achievement and Sir Patrick still holds the world record for being the same presenter on the longest running TV programme. Our guests love coming down to Farthings, Sir Patrick’s home. For them, me- ing him is like meeting their astronomical hero. Over the past five decades, the Sky at Night has managed to talk to the space scientists and astronomers making the landmark discoveries. No matter how busy they are, they make room for Sir Patrick.
Table of Contents
Eye on the Universe.- The Turbulent Sun.- Comet Crash.- The Search for Life Elsewhere.- Mapping the Sky.- News from the Planets.- Spanish Ring.- The Sizes of the Stars.- The Edge of the Solar System.- The Telescopes of Mauna Kea.- Turkish Delight.- Ringed World.- Matter We Cannot See.- Gamma-Ray Bursters.- Wandering Giants.- The Problem of Pluto.- Non-identical Twins.- The Sounds of the Stars.- Space-Man.- Exploring Mars.- The Lakes of Titan.- Fiftieth Anniversary.- SuperWASP.- Scorpion in the Sky.- The August Perseids.- Black Holes: And Black Magic.- Jodrell Bank: Fiftieth Anniversary.- The Grand Collision.- Holmes’ Comet.- Cosmic Debris.- Nearest Star.- The Flight of the Phoenix.- Devil’s Advocate.- Galaxy Zoo.- Four Hundred Years of the Telescope.- The Merry Dancers.- The Fountains of Enceladus.- The Herschel Telescope.- Onward to the Moon.- Forty Years on.- Impact!.- Life?.- Erratum.
