NI Science Festival presents The Great Alien Hunt: Dr Matt Bothwell

This February, The Crescent is delighted to welcome NI Science Festival for a series of events and workshops as part of the 2026 programme.

Discover the answers to these questions and many more at the Supervillain Academy: the magnificently morbid school for young villains in training. Read more about how the search for extraterrestrial life and the search for planets are linked, the exoplanets and extremophiles that can be found all over the galaxy, and the weird and wonderful ways scientists think we (might) be able to travel around space.

A factual and full-of-fun astronomy book for young big thinkers and budding scientists!

• An accessible and enjoyable introduction to astrophysics, explaining big topics in a simple way
• Packed with facts about the solar system, galaxies and the universe, and, most importantly, the answer to the question: “Are we really alone?”
• Each chapter is linked to science topics that children study at school
• Scientific concepts are brought to life with humorous illustrations

Based on real (and morbid) questions from children, expert astronomer and author Dr. Matt Bothwell has created this talk to teach astrophysics to primary school-goers. Perfect for fans of Kay’s Marvellous Medicine and the Horrible Histories series, Astrophysics for Supervillains 2: The Great Alien Hunt is the second book of the Supervillain Academy series: a space-themed, fact-based exploration of space that will have curious kids keen to get to school on time!

About

Dr Matt Bothwell is the public astronomer at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge. He has been a professional astronomer for 15 years. He currently runs the university’s astronomy public engagement program, which involves visiting more than a hundred primary schools and children’s libraries every year to talk about space, as well as running astronomy evenings.