When Ben Moore, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Zurich, joined the Street Parade of 2010 with his own Love Mobile there was amazement and wonder. The tall, lanky Brit with the boyish face seemed to be just what academic Switzerland was lacking: a nerd with eloquence, charm and an ego, someone who could showcase science in a rather different – and utterly flamboyant – way. Four years on and there is little wonder left as we now know to expect everything and anything from this man dubbed the "pop star of astrophysics". Moore has since published two popular science books and will give a reading (in English) from his second book, 'Da Draussen'.
Moore is – after having treated the history and future of the universe in his first book – again asking some of the very big questions: What will we find out there? Do aliens exist? How did life begin, and how probable is other life amongst the stars? In the past few years astronomers have discovered that planets like ours may be common, and Moore explores the possibilities within these discoveries – never without a decent pinch of British humour.
Music being his other big interest, Moore will end the event with a bang – not a Big Bang, but still a rather unusual one. From 10pm onwards, the same venue will host the release party of his first solo album 'Escape Velocity' - a blend of various styles of contemporary electronic music. The audience of the book vernissage get entry into the invite only album release party, which looks set to be the hottest ticket in town.