THE SKY AT NIGHT

'''The Sky at Night''' is a monthly television programme on astronomy produced by the BBC. The show has had the same permanent presenter, Sir Patrick Moore, from its first airing on 24 April 1957, making it the longest running programme with the same presenter in the world.
The programme's initial and closing theme music is ''At the Castle Gate'', from the incidental music to ''Pelléas et Mélisande'' by Jean Sibelius.

Contents

Content

Notable guests

Commemorative honours

External links

Content

The programme covers a wide range of general astronomical and space related topics. In the past, general topics have included stellar life cycles, radio astronomy, artificial satellites, black holes, neutron stars and many others. The programme also covers what is happening in the night sky at the time it is being broadcast, especially when something less common, such as a comet or a meteor shower, is present.

Notable guests

In July 2004, Moore was unable to make the broadcast due to a severe bout of Salmonellosis. He was replaced for this one occasion by the cosmologist Chris Lintott of Oxford University, but returned for the August programme. This is the only occasion in 50 years that Moore has not hosted the programme.
Brian May (of Queen fame), a keen amateur astronomer, is a guest on the show from time to time.
On 1 April 2007, Sir Patrick presented the 50th Anniversary edition of the show, a special "time travel" edition which included the appearance of Jon Culshaw.

Commemorative honours

The International Astronomical Union celebrated the 50th anniversary of the show by naming asteroid 57424 Caelumnoctu.
In February 2007 the Royal Mail issued a set of six astronomy stamps to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the programme.

External links

★ Official website

★ Official Sky at Night Magazine Website

★ 650th programme on 8th January 2007

★ Review of the 50th anniversary programme on Freaky Trigger