Orkney International Science Festival programme launched

This week has seen the announcement of the programme for the this year’s Orkney International Science Festival, featuring a return visit to the festival for one of the most recognisable names in the scientific world.

The eclectic list of events, which was announced yesterday, will see talks given on the Gulf Stream, Arctic journeys, rock guitars, giant bubbles and much more, all taking place from Thursday, September 7.

The festival will also see the return of Nobel laureate professor Peter Higgs, known for his breakthrough work on the Higgs boson particle — also called the God particle. Professor Higgs last spoke at the festival in 2015.

This year, the science festival will also be linked to this year’s Magnus 900 events, commemorating the death of St Magnus, as the festival will include various Norwegian topics, including the story of strange, hovering, flashing balls of light in the valley of Hessdalen, which may be connected to the mystery of ball lightning.

To browse the full list of events at this year’s festival, click here.