If you like space and beards, prepare to love TV's #SpaceGandalf
The term "Space Gandalf" is more than an obscure Doctor Who reference, you guys. It's a real-life person. And he's quite the dude.
The world got to meet the IRL Space Gandalf when he made a special appearance on the Australian iteration of physicist Brian Cox's TV show Stargazing Live, which (as the name suggests) is a multi-platform program about space, broadcast live from an observatory in rural New South Wales.
That's right. Space Gandalf is Australian, and he just blew up your social media feed with his beautiful beard and illustrious knowledge of astronomy.
Space Gandalf's real name is Greg Quicke and he's been steadily "delivering intensely practical astronomy to humanity since 1995," as his Twitter bio states.
But it wasn't until last night that his impressive insights and mystical aesthetic hit the big time, sending #SpaceGandalf trending for over nine hours.
It's not hard to see why.
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Naturally, there was some Photoshopping to be done.
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Pretty soon, the Astro Tours provider, author and astronomer had won hardcore fans across Australia and beyond. Somebody get this guy on the payroll! We could listen to those dulcet tones all day.
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And if you're wondering, yes Space Gandalf is proud of his viral achievements. The spent the show re-tweeting and playing along.
Now his Twitter bio reads: "#Spacegandalf: It's all about surf, stars and handlebars."
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Yep. He's the best.
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Nawww you are, Space Gandalf!
Jerico Mandybur is the editor of Mashable Australia. Previously, she worked as a digital editor at SBS, Oyster Mag, MTV and ASOS. Tweet her at @jerico_m.
