UNITED KINGDOM AUTHOR · ASTRONOMY · JUVENILE
Patrick Moore
Also known as: Moore, Patrick, 1962-
Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore was born in Pinner in Middlesex, the child of a Captain and his wife. He was raised in East Grinstead and educated at home due to chronic health problems. He joined the British Astronomical Association at eleven years of age. When he was 14, his mentor at the observatory in East Grinstead was killed, and Moore was asked to run the observatory. In 1941, he enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. In 1943, while Moore was training abroad, his fiancée was killed by a bomb in London. In 1944, he returned to England, and was posted as the navigator of a Vickers Wellington bomber in Cumbria. After the war, he taught school from 1945-1953. His first book, Guide to the Moon (later retitled Patrick Moore on the Moon), was published in 1953. He wrote and translated several books of astronomy and fiction, including the late 1970s series the Scott Saunders Space Adventure. In the 1957, he began a television show on the BBC network about astronomy, The Sky at Night, which aired monthly until his death in 2012 and made him the longest-serving TV presenter. Moore was president of the British Astronomical Association, co-founder and president of the Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA), author of over 70 books on astronomy. His specialty was Moon observation.
The Venus facing stage right.
— from Venus
Most acclaimed
Futures
Four acclaimed masters of modern science fiction share provocative, individual visions of the future in four short novellas.
Venus
In 1810, The Venus Hottentot (as she is dubbed) -- a young black woman with an enormous posterior -- is lured away from her menial job in South Africa to tour the world and make lots of money. Once in England, however, she is sold to a freak show and becomes a star. She shows off her attribute, bringing in crowds and raking in money for the side show owners. Quickly becoming adept at displaying herself and understanding what the people want from her as a freak, she even tries to break out on her own, but can't quite master that is those social times. Eventually, she is procured by a white doctor who is more than fascinated with her. He falls in love with her and keeps her as his mistress until he is in danger of losing his medical reputation and social standing. Venus, who journeyed to Europe with high hopes, at the end of her short life, was dissected by the man she loved.
Astronomy
Here is a spectacular, thought-provoking, and highly informative guide to the fascinating world of astronomy. Superb full-color photographs of scientific instruments, experiments, and innovative 3-D models reveal the discoveries and research that have transformed our understanding of the Universe. See how sailors navigated by the Sun and stars, where the asteroid belt is, how the planets and constellations were named, why the Earth was considered the center of the Universe, what a black hole is, and the hot volcanic surface of Venus. Learn how space probes photograph planets, what causes a meteor shower, what makes Mars red, why the Sun shines, where the Moon came from, how the first telescopes worked, the stages in the life of a star, and how the Earth's atmosphere sustains life. Discover what creates auroras, why the Zero Meridian is located at Greenwich in England, how the amazing early observatories were built, how Saturn could float on water, the "sound" of our own galaxy, how a comet is formed, and much, much more.