For physicist Brian Cox, working out how to vote is a simple question of applying a scientific method.

"Look across the political landscape of any country, identify the people with blustering certitude and don't vote for them," he said.

Professor Cox, anointed by David Attenborough as his broadcasting successor, believes the humility required in good science could teach our politicians a few lessons.

"Science is not a collection of absolute truths," he said. "Scientists are delighted when we are wrong because it means we have learnt something."

The Manchester University professor is in Australia for the Stargazing Live events for BBC and ABC television.

And while he is enthusiastic about the wonders of the southern sky, Professor Cox wanted to explore politics, education and morality when he sat down with Fairfax Media.

On politics

"There is a school of thought that says science should remain above politics. I don't agree with that," Professor Cox said. 

"I think that the scientific way of thinking is the road to better politics. The value of science is in embracing doubt."

The British particle physicist said "politicians need to approach the public not by saying 'this is absolutely right' but by saying this is the best thing to do based on what we currently know.

"Politicians need to embrace doubt as much as scientists do."

This month, supporters of science will take to the streets across the world on Earth Day.

Partly in reaction to US President Donald Trump's approach to the Environmental Protection Agency, the March for Science will be focused in Washington DC but also take place in Australian cities on April 22.

Some scientists have expressed concerns that such a display could isolate scientists and science advocates.

Professor Cox said that "public demonstrations for reason is a good thing to do", but he warned that displays of hubris would be wrong and counter to a scientific approach.

"To do good science you need honesty and humility - and those aspects of good science should be applied in political life," he said.

On morality, culture and science

Professor Cox said scientists have a moral responsibility for how their work is used. "If you see politicians doing stupid things, which they are likely to do, you have an obligation to speak out."

He said that the late US physicist Richard Feynman recognised this more than 50 years ago whe he said science and engineering have outstripped our political capabilities. 

"Science is a sensible ways to proceed. But it can mean delivering tools to politicians that's a bit like handing a revolver to a toddler," he said.

So are there some discoveries best left undiscovered?

"No. It's always better to know than not know. I'm hard-pressed to think of a discovery about nature that's not generated tremendous benefit," he said.

"The actual question is: why are we giving power to people who essentially behave like children, why are we letting those people run the place?"

Science in schools

A rational society can't just take on faith what scientists say, he said. There needs to be a culture of understanding how scientists present evidence.

"What's become clear over the past few years is that we've got a problem; we've clearly not taught science properly and that means there are lot of people who don't understand what it is.

"The answer, of course, is to fix the education system."

A big part of this, he said, would be to increase the role of experimental science in schools.

"There are people who genuinely don't understand how to weigh the voices of scientists. You can't just expect people to understand how to do this, you have to teach it," he said.

Citizen science

Involving ordinary people in their homes is one way to help bridge this gap.

Stargazing Live is one of many "citizen science" projects that have sprung up because of two factors: the huge amounts of data that science is producing and the ability to access this through technological and online innovation.

Brad Tucker from the Australian National University worked with Professor Cox last week on the BBC program, trying to hunt for objects at the outer edges of our solar system.

"About 60,000 people from around the world classified more than 4 million objects as part of the citizen search for the so-called Planet Nine," he said.

CSIRO astronomer Lisa Harvey-Smith, who will participate in ABC's Stargazing Live, said: "It's a great way to get people involved and demystify the scientific process."

Dr Harvey-Smith said that Stargazing Live will give people at home access to brand new data from the Kepler space telescope that will likely lead to the discovery of more exoplanets - worlds orbiting stars many light years from Earth.

Professor Cox said: "We will find exoplanets and along the way expose hundreds of thousands of people to the process of science."

Our beautiful southern skies

The Omega Centauri globular cluster viewed by NASA's Spitzer telescope. Photo: NASA

Professor Cox's highlight while filming for the BBC last week was seeing Omega Centauri by telescope for the first time.

"It's the most spectacular globular cluster in the sky: 10 million stars, visible to the naked eye but only in the southern hemisphere," he said. 

"If you're not in the habit of looking at the sky, you're missing out on one of the great treasures of Australia." 

Stargazing Live with Brian Cox and Julia Zemiro is on ABC TV at 8.30pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.