Phil's Astronomy Page

Ironic that this website was being developed just as Sir Patrick Moore celebrates 50 years of "The Sky at Night" on BBC television. Phil's curiosity of things "astronomical" was present, as in most of us, from his early recognition of the patterns of stars in the winter and summer sky and this was enhanced following a visit to the London Planetarium when he was about 11 or 12 years old.

He still believes that the two best ever Royal Institution Christmas Lectures were given by the late Carl Sagan - Professor of Planetry Studies at Cornell University and Eric Laithwaite - Professor of Heavy Electrical Engineering at Imperial College (the inventor of the linear motor and the "MagLev" principle) who presented the lectures entitled "Engineer through the Looking Glass". Two experts on his two favourite subjects.

Phil maintains his interest in astronomy and currently owns a computer controlled Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope. Always happy to discuss astronomy and encourage younger people to take an interest in what may become a very satisfying lifetime's hobby, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2003.