I am delighted to announce that I have been invited to deliver a series of outreach events for Orkney International Science Festival (7^th-13^th September 2017). I am particularly excited that though most events will be held in Orkney’s capital, Kirkwall, some will be held on the more remote islands in the archipelago.

Let’s have a quick look at the highlights of this latest instance of what has by now become my trademark Space and Astronomy Tour(s) (or SATs):

To begin with, in order to support the North Ronaldsay’s community bid for International Dark Sky Island status, I will be visiting this fantastic island (with no street lighting!) to deliver a Dark Sky Discovery capacity development workshop and an evening event called From Dark Sky To a Bright Future. I will be visiting this most Northern outpost of the Orkneys on Thursday,  7^th September, with the evening events being held at the Bird Observatory, starting at 8pm.

To complement the traditional “Families’ Saturday” programme, on 9^th September, in the King Street Halls, I will lead a drop-in workshop stall on Family Fun with Constellation Making. Doors open at 10am and we should have enough constellation making supplies to last us until 4pm.

In a partnership with Lewis Hou from Science Ceilidh we will be running a special science and music event at the Papa Westray Community Centre on Monday, 11th September. The event with a provisional title Celestial Harmony, will feature parts of my talk on the link between everyday objects and Astronomy and Space Science, What Has the Space Ever Done for Us? A Sign-posted Guide to Astronomy and Space Exploration in 8 Technologies, and Lewis’ musical exploration of Space in the form of Space Ceilidh dances. Whilst at “Papay” we will also be visiting the most Northern school in Scotland (if you, perhaps unjustly, exclude fair Isle and Shetland Islands).

Also, as part of a longstanding partnership with Kirkwall Grammar School (KGS), which includes and exciting project to take students to visit the Russia’s Star City in 2018, I will deliver a series of interactive sessions with National 5, Highers and Advanced Highers students, called The Discovery of Space, and based on celebrating the first century of scientific Space Exploration.

Finally, together with a former astronomer and now an acclaimed writer, Pippa Goldschmidt, we will reprise our recent Edinburgh Fringe show using fiction, and science to explore Tales of the Outer Space. The literary-scientific exploration will be held in Supper Room, Town Hall, Kirkwall on Wednesday, 13^th September, at 2pm.

In addition to my own events listed above, I am also part of a collaborative project involving Dr Howie Firth (OISF) and Dr Edvard Kobal (Slovenian Science Foundation), on exploring the life and work of Fanny Susan Copeland. On Sunday, 10th September, we will present a talk entitled “The Astronomer’s Daughter and the Lost Armada Ships”. Fanny Copeland is the daughter of Ralph Copeland, who was the Astronomer Royal for Scotland in late 19^th and early 20^th century. I have completed extensive research in the Royal Observatory Edinburgh archives in support of this project. Come and find out more about her amazing life and work, as well as try out some fine Slovenian baking at Skaill House, Sandwick, at 6pm.

I will also be assisting in organising and delivering celebrations to mark the 20^th Anniversary of Partnership with Slovenian Science Foundation, including the delicious celebratory banquet: From Rocky Karst to Sunlit Sea (7pm, Wednesday, 13^th September, Town Hall, Kirkwall), and helping to deliver some of the other events, for instance Cloud Chamber Workshop planned by Alan Walker from the Particle Physics for Scottish Schools (PP4SS).

I suspect I don’t have to tell you just how excited I am about this amazing series of events and how much I am looking forward to visiting Orkney again. However, I do have to say massive thanks to OISF organisers for inviting me, to the Institute of Physics in Scotland for their generous financial support and to the Dark Sky Discovery / STFC for the privilege of representing the Dark Sky Discovery project.