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Orkney International Science Festival Logo Orkney International Science Festival Logo
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    • PROGRAMME 2020
      • Thursday 3 September
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        September

        2020

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      Our aim is to bring you a growing range of items that will provide a flavour of the Festival – and something for all ages. We have specially designed badges and postcards, along with books and CDs.

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ASTRONOMY

  • All
  • Dark Skies Orkney
  • In the Cosmos
  • Local
Orkney looked out for Venus transit
Gallery

Orkney looked out for Venus transit

Orkney looked out for Venus transit

Local

Orkney looked out for Venus transit Observers in Orkney and Shetland had the best opportunity to watch the Venue transit of June 2012, but the weather turned out to

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Midwinter astronomy success
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Midwinter astronomy success

Midwinter astronomy success

Dark Skies Orkney, Festival Archive, Other Festivals

Amidst wind, rain and occasion flurries of snow, there were also several fine frosty nights for 'Dark Skies Orkney'. The midwinter astronomy programme of events was coordinated

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Blue and lonely planet found
Gallery

Blue and lonely planet found

Blue and lonely planet found

In the Cosmos

Astronomers have found what seems to be a planet wandering on its own through space without a parent star. The image above shows an artist's impression of it.

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Black hole drives hot jets
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Black hole drives hot jets

Black hole drives hot jets

In the Cosmos

Spiral galaxy Messier 106 is unusual. It has four spiral arms instead of the usual two. The normal pair are the ones with the string of blue towards their ends – hot young stars in an early stage of life.

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Cosmic beacon flashes out from infant stars
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Cosmic beacon flashes out from infant stars

Cosmic beacon flashes out from infant stars

In the Cosmos

Cosmic beacon flashes out from infant stars From across the light-years a cosmic beacon beams out from an infant star system. The fan-like pattern to the right of

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An observatory in the Highlands
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An observatory in the Highlands

An observatory in the Highlands

Local

Since June 2008, the Highlands Astronomical Society has been the proud owner of a state-of-the-art observatory located near the NTS Visitor Centre at Culloden Battlefield.

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Dark Skies Orkney 2011
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Dark Skies Orkney 2011

Dark Skies Orkney 2011

Dark Skies Orkney

This was a pilot event, where the Science Festival collaborated with local tourism and community groups, and there were some lively talks and outings.

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Stones & Stars
Gallery

Stones & Stars

Stones & Stars

Local

The island has a standing stone, with a small hole in it. This type of stone seems to date from the Neolithic period, four to five thousand years ago.

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Ten years of Orkney Sky Notes
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Ten years of Orkney Sky Notes

Ten years of Orkney Sky Notes

Local

The Orcadian's Orkney Sky Notes column is ten years old. The column, produced by Rousay astronomer John Vetterlein, has become not only an essential guide to the Orkney night sky but also an ideal way to learn about astronomy.

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Midwinter astronomy festival for Orkney
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Midwinter astronomy festival for Orkney

Midwinter astronomy festival for Orkney

Dark Skies Orkney, Festival Archive, Other Festivals

Orkney had a midwinter astronomy festival in December 2011. Talks and stargazing took place across the mainland from Birsay to Deerness, and in Stronsay and Sanday as well.

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See Orkney skies on the iPad!
Gallery

See Orkney skies on the iPad!

See Orkney skies on the iPad!

Dark Skies Orkney, Festival Archive

See Orkney skies on the iPad! To promote the 'Dark Skies Orkney' event of December 2011 and Orkney astronomy generally, a new e-magazine was produced for iPad and web access.It includes

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Latest Tweets

OrkSciFest Stories and songs for a winter's evening in Scotland's Year of Coasts and Waters. Orkney storyteller Tom Muir has a… https://t.co/ThjMys9vUy
OrkSciFest Martin Gray's Orkney Beachcombing page is always a delight to visit, with stories and pictures of treasures from fa… https://t.co/bjTzoZ0GvN
OrkSciFest A look from the air at some of Orkney’s archaeological sites. Tristan Cameron-Harper sends his drone seeking out vi… https://t.co/Pq8WyYCNrY
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ABOUT OISF

A science festival has a radical role in developing a creative climate for a region. Here is the story of how it began, and how Orkney was involved from an early stage in the concept.

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