My brain is still getting used to the idea that I spent the weekend surrounded by music and science but I have started to file my ideas and impressions (or so I think, my brain surprises me still…) Here are my post BlueDot festival recommendations and some musings it provoked.

Discovering some art: there was a talk on Art, Science and the Culture of the Moon by Alexandra Loske and Robert Massey during which I found out that it is possible to precisely date and locate where German artist, Adam Elsheimer, created his work entitled The Flight into Egypt. This can be done because he treated himself to one of the first telescopes ever made and he used the details of the Moon and stars that he saw through it in his painting…in 1609! That pretty much blew my mind.

Festival helper: Clashfinder site will show you precisely when and where your favourites are playing at whichever festival you specify. It is really easy to print off and you can choose to donate, or not, to keep the site running. My favourite level of donation is ‘the cost of a pint’

Getting involved: One of the things Chris Lintott mentioned during his talk was the Planet Hunters project on the Zooniverse site. If you want the chance to help sort through satellite data, with the possibility of discovering a new exo-planet, then this is the site for you.

New music to try: She Drew The Gun. Juniore and Self Esteem. I try to do quite a bit of listening as soon as the line-up’s are announced, so I already knew these were probably going to be my favourites, but they were all excellent live too.

Science stuff to impress your friends: NASA very helpfully send out an email letting you know when the ISS (International Space Station) will be going over your head. It moves surprisingly quickly across the sky, as a very large dot of light, but with even a small pair of binoculars it is possible to see the solar panels sticking out the sides. Sign up for alerts here.