Sir Patrick Moore’s picnic

The British Interplanetary Society were again invited by Sir Patrick Moore to have a picnic at his home in Selsey, after the success of a similar event held in previous years. After weeks of rain, we were extremely lucky with glorious sunshine for the afternoon.

People set up their picnics in groups around the garden, while talks were held in the main marquee, and stands with a raffle, BIS information and models were there to browse. Halfway through the afternoon, they opened up the telescopes for people to admire. My friend Amjad, who I met in Florida at the launch of STS-135, was excited to see these:

Amjad

We squeezed into the small wooden shed, housing one of Sir Patrick’s precious telescopes, as a queuue formed outside:

Nick, myself, Amjad and Angela

My friend Angela, who I also met in Florida at the launch of STS-135, went to talk to Sir Patrick:

Sir Patrick, Colin Philp (BIS), Angela

My friend Nick was a lucky winner in the raffle, and helped Sir Patrick select the next ticket:

Sir Patrick, Colin, Nick

 Several members of UKSEDS were in attendance:

Ryan, Nancy, Richard, myself, Sir Patrick

On leaving the picnic, my friend pointed out the wonderful weather vane on Sir Patrick’s chimney, as pictured below.

Sir Patrick’s wind vane

A true giant and champion of astronomy and science in the UK, it was an honour and privilege to meet him.