If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. Antoine de Saint Exupery
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. Two of the Society's Committee, chairman Arthur Milnes and events secretary Pat Escott, provide a tour of the features of the Jim Savage-Lowden Observatory and tell how it developed.
ASTRONOMY AND ARCHAEOLOGY, RELATIVITY AND RENEWABLES
WELCOME TO THE FESTIVAL! This year's dates are 6-12 September 2012, and we will soon have an outline of the programme to show.
This year's programme has taken shape so well that it is nearly complete. Astronomy will be a feature, as will archaeology, and new ideas about the time of the Ice Age and after. We will also hear about tree-rings and ancient catastrophes – from the Book of Job to the Black Death.
There will be links with art and music, which will include concerts and ceilidhs, and there will be trips to Shapinsay and Hoy. More details to come soon!
In the meantime, to get an overall flavour of the Festival, we have a back copy of last year's programme available to download.
We're expanding our news section and have started up a new blog, and in these parts of the site you'll find various stories of topics connected with the Festival or of particular interest. There's the story of ancient snake that ruled the rainforests 50 million years ago, the mystery of the steel that made the fabled swords of Damascus, and our own interview with the team working on the design of Scotland's first satellite, to be launched next year. These and more are on the news and blog pages.
PICTURES FROM THE 2011 FESTIVAL
You'll see the video of the Green and Medieval Afternoon featured at the head of this page. There are also three albums of photographs on our Facebook pages, with first of all an overall selection, then highlights of the Green and Medieval Afternoon, and then a selection from the Family Day.
DISCUSSION FORUM
Our discussion forum is now online. We've been able to find a new user-friendly system, and we hope that we find it good to use. The aim is to follow up topics that have opened up at Festival events and also look ahead to issues to be highlighted at this year's Festival.
Music and art, crafts and costumes, stories of people and ideas, all in the setting of the Earl's and Bishop's Palaces in Kirkwall, Orkney, in the 21st Orkney International Science Festival, September 2011
Rockets and robots, wave power and waste re-use – it was all part of the Family Day at the 2010 Orkney International Science Festival.
The Flashing and Banging Chemistry Show lived up to its name in the 2010 Orkney International Science Festival, under the direction of Prof. Donald MacPhee of Aberdeen University.
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