Astronomy was once merely a hobby for Dr. Moore. Educated privately because of illness, he was elected a member of the British Astronomical Association while still a schoolboy. His illness did not prevent him from serving with the Royal Air Force during World War II, however, where he was a navigator in Bomber Command. Following the war he assisted at a training school for pilots. Never losing his avid love for the heavens, he became a free-lance author and to date has more than 60 books, most about astronomy, to his credit.

For three years he was director of the Armagh Planetarium in Northern Ireland. He has a private observatory in Sussex, where he has made Selsey his home since 1967.

His talent for written and verbal communication has made him one of the leading popularizers of astronomy in the world. Although never employed purely as an astronomer, he is consistently up to date with his field. His ability to understand his subject and share it with others allows him to make even the most difficult concepts clear to his audiences.

Awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1968 and named a Commander of the British Empire in 1988, Dr. Moore has also been awarded the Lorimer Gold Medal (1962), the Goodacre Gold Medal from the British Astronomical Association (1968), the Arturo Gold Medal from the Italian Astronomical Society (1969), the Jackson-Gwilt Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society (1977) and the Roberts-Klumpke Medal from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (1979).

A fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, he is a member of the International Astronomy Union and was named an honorary member of the Astronomic-Geodetic Society of the Soviet Union in 1971, a member of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand in 1983, and an honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 1994. He holds honorary degrees from the Universities of Lancaster, Birmingham and Hertfordshire.

He served as president of the British Astronomical Association from 1982-84 and has been an editor of the Year Book of Astronomy since 1962. His more than 60 books include The Amateur Astronomer, Atlas of the Universe, Guide to the Planets, The Unfolding Universe, Travellers in Space and Time, The Return of Halley's Comet, Stargazing, Exploring the Night Sky with Binoculars, The A-Z of Astronomy, TV Astronomer, Astronomers' Stars, Mission to the Planets, A Passion for Astronomy and Fireside Astronomy.

Dr. Moore was co-author of the book Out of the Darkness: The Planet Pluto in 1980, The other author of this book was Clyde Tombaugh himself, who discovered Pluto in 1930.

Although astronomy is his primary love, Dr. Moore also enjoys cricket, chess, tennis and music. He plays the xylophone and is a published composer. The Ever Ready Band Plays Music by Patrick Moore was released in 1979 and The Music of Patrick Moore was issued in 1986. He composed and performed in the operas Perseus and Andromeda in 1975 and Theseus in 1982.

Dr. Moore's birthday card shown above was created by Artist Robin Rector Krupp aboard the Caribbean Eclipse '98 - Voyage to Darkness