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1961: ASTRONOMERS vs CLOUDS - The Peril of Live TV | Sky at Night | Science and Nature | BBC Archive
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November 2, 2024
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21:03Now PlayingTo celebrate the 50th edition of the Sky at night, Patrick Moore leaves the comfort of the studio, for what is hoped to be a historic outside broadcast. The plan is to broadcast the first ever live television pictures of the gas giants Saturn and Jupiter, using astronomer George Hole's homemade 24-inch telescope at Patcham and the 36 inch telescope at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh.
Just as the broadcast is about to begin, clouds roll in, completely obscuring the night sky over Brighton, leaving Patrick and George frantically scanning the sky for something - anything - to film. The result is a 20 minute masterclass in filling time, peppered with moments of high farce, that sees the amateur astronomers inadvertently morph into a comedy double act, with impeccable comic timing.
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Clip taken from The Sky at Night, originally broadcast on BBC Television, Monday 21 August, 1961.
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