Into Space with Patrick Moore, The Albert Halls

TV astronomer, Patrick Moore, took the audience of Bolton's Albert Halls, on a tour of the galaxy and beyond on Saturday night.

Presenting the events in space over the past 45 years, Patrick enthralled his fellow astronomy fans with his wit and knowledge of the sun, moon and planets, taking his lecture through the realms of our solar system and beyond.

Patrick has written over 60 books on astronomy and, since April 1957, has presented every one of the monthly The Sky at Night programmes earning him a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest serving television presenter.

The auditorium was packed, with young and old, male and female, and although the flyer advertised the show as 'an event for all the family' I felt the content wasn't really aimed at children.

My thoughts were confirmed when a child sitting behind me began to cry when Patrick revealed that the sun would eventually dieout, along with all life on Earth!

The detail the presenter went into was fascinating, more so for those with a very keen interest in astronomy.

But the supporting slide show on an overhead projector was impressive with both technical drawings and probe shots taken from the Hubble Space Station.

The material was very detailed, but to the simple stargazer it may have been a bit too in-depth.

The show lasted for just over an hour and was followed by a question and answer session, where the 79-year-old shared his thoughts and discoveries to help answer the many questions.

Alison Barton