AN International Space Station astronaut and the co-creator of Cosmos are among the big names set to 'wow' bluedot audiences this summer.
The festival's extensive science line-up joins the weekend of music and cosmic culture at Jodrell Bank, with headline appearances including Björk and Groove Armada
Astronaut Tim Peake and Ann Druyan – Cosmos creator and NASA Voyager missions creative director – are among the headline talks during the July 23 to 26 weekend.
A special Thursday night Opening Concert will see The Hallé performing a unique live score to the original Cosmos series.
Ilan Eshkeri, in collaboration with the European Space Agency, will present Space Station Earth – a new, immersive show which allows the audience to experience space travel through the eyes of an astronaut.
Ann Druyan's extraordinary story as the co-creator of Cosmos and the film Contact, alongside her late husband Carl Sagan, will be the subject of an exclusive 'In Conversation' at the festival
Space Station Earth is a spell-binding new show which allows the audience to enjoy an immersive experience of life in space – all through the eyes of an astronaut.
In space astronauts all share a similar shift in consciousness, it’s often called the Overview Effect. Astronauts very quickly learn and appreciate how everything on earth is connected - land, oceans, weather systems and people, and how we need to protect and look after our home.
Space Station Earth aims to offer all of this – a journey into space, using real footage and images while at its core supporting and celebrating astronauts.
Created by Ilan Eshkeri, in association with The European Space Agency, all previously unseen footage is taken on-board the International Space Station by the 6 European Space Corp Astronauts of the class of 2009.
Returning speakers include Chris Lintott of BBC's The Sky At Night, Libby Jackson of UK Space Agency, and Open University's Monica Grady.
Additionally, Yan and Noble from the Mercury Prize-nominated British Sea Power are set to perform a special live soundtrack to Out Of The Present as part of the festival's film programme.
The feature film, covering the story of the Mir space station in the context of the Soviet Union's collapse, previously received the live soundtrack treatment from the UK band at an exclusive concert at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.
Other science speakers announced include Andy Miah, Chris Newman, Julia Steinberger, American astronomer Jill Tarter – best known for her work on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence – Chris Jones, Daniel M Davis, Eric Drass, Stephen Wilkins, Chris Parkes from UoM, Katie Mack and Jim Wild.
Weekend tickets for bluedot 2020 are on sale now from discoverthebluedot.com
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here