Just imagine the conversation around the dinner table when some of the world's most curious brains join forces for the second 'Starmus' Festival, taking place in the Canary Islands in September.
Brian May, Richard Dawkins and Professor Stephen Hawking will be joining other luminaries for this astronomy-meets-music extravaganza, with artists Rick Wakeman and Peter Gabriel also on the guest list. See below for info.
Brian May and Professor Stephen Hawking will join forces for 'Starmus' in the Canary Islands
Special guest Professor Stephen Hawking will speak on two occasions, first covering 'The origin of the Universe', which will take place on the second day of the festival, and 'Black Holes', which he will give on the last day as a spectacular finale to the festival.
The Canary Islands have been chosen for this year's venue because of its advantageous geographical location and the amount of astrophysical observation and research conducted there.
Highlights of the festival, taking place over five days, include a talk by Richard Dawkins on 'Tentative taxonomy of extra-terrestrial life', a personal journey to 'The Dark Side of the Moon' by Apollo astronaut Charlie Duke, and a presentation on 'Seeing Space in 3D' by Brian May.
Richard Dawkins tells HuffPostUK, "I thoroughly enjoyed the first Starmus, the inspired brainchild of Garik Israelian.
"It's the opportunity to meet world-class scientists in the company of men who walked in space and on the moon; to eavesdrop on their conversation and contribute to it in my own small way."
Garik himself says, "Its an honour to host what will be the world's most ambitious science festival, with Stephen Hawking, Brian May and Richard Dawkins. Bringing these names together in the Canary Islands, one of the world’s best settings for astronomy, makes this a once in a lifetime event."
Click here for the full programme and ticket info. Starmus attendees will be eligible for a discount flight with Air Iberia.
Starmus will take place 22-27 September 2014, Tenerife, Book your ticket now - info here.