NASA’s solar eclipse art shows how important science art is to astronomy

In the short moment before that As the whole thing progresses, the sky deepens to a twilight blue. As the moon glides in front of the sun, a thin streak of white-looking light radiates outward, and a ring of fire surrounds the rapidly fading star. There’s a lot of science going on during a solar eclipse. But scientists aren’t the only ones fascinated by these heavenly sights. For centuries, artists have stood alongside astronomers with paintbrushes, chisels, or cameras, trying to capture the colors, shapes, and shadows of the moment.

The extraordinary wonder and great terror of solar eclipses have inspired some of the most impressive and essential works of scientific art in history. And for thousands of years, artists from different cultures have used different mediums to capture a sense of connection to the universe for their own reasons, sometimes with the help of scientists. . After all, documenting celestial events helps astronomers further study remote events in the universe. Now, NASA is turning its attention to art again in preparation for the solar eclipse on April 8th.

Since 3340 BC, when the oldest known record of a solar eclipse was made, artistic creation has never been far removed from astronomy. A 5,364-year-old petroglyph of overlapping concentric circles has been discovered on a megalith in Ireland, carved by a Neolithic astronomer-cleric. The Mayan civilization in Mesoamerica also used rock art to record surprisingly accurate solar eclipse predictions, and the Pueblo Society found images of fiery entanglements in New Mexico’s Chaco Valley during the 1097 solar eclipse. I carved an emoji of a dark sun stretching outwards.

Babylonian stargazers were only able to predict solar eclipses after the discovery of the Saros cycle around the 7th or 8th century B.C., but even this early scientific discovery made the art of eclipses unknown or mysterious. It did not change the human desire to be associated with principles.

Myths are depicted in a significant number of Asian works, including Chinese book illustrations from the 4th to 1st centuries BC. It depicts a legendary dragon and a menacing dog or cat devouring the sun, symbolizing the fear of losing life force. An intricate funerary vase carved by a Chinese artist in the 1300s depicts the same legendary dragon chasing a solar eclipse with its eager jaws.

In other parts of the continent, many traditional works of Tibetan art glorify Rahula, the patron god who obtained energy by consuming the cosmic body to permanently extinguish the sun. And in Japan, artists created woodblock prints such as her 14th-century woman confronting an evil ghost in a blocked-out sun.

In Europe, solar eclipses depicted in paintings tended to be associated with religion, as the Christian Bible depicts a solar eclipse during Jesus’ crucifixion. As a result, Austrian expressionist Egon Schiele’s famous works depict landscapes from the late 1800s against a charcoal-colored sun backdrop.

It wasn’t until the 20th century that art and science really came together like the sun and the moon. Before photography was technically able to capture precise illustrations, artists were commissioned to record important details of color and light in an entire moment.

And in 1918, the U.S. Naval Observatory, in collaboration with the Princeton Astronomical Department, commissioned the famous landscape artist Howard Russell Butler to commemorate one of America’s most extraordinary solar eclipses, which crossed the continental United States from coast to coast. hired. The scientific community believed that Butler’s shorthand sketching and painting techniques were perfect for imitating the ephemeral effects of nature. He was repeatedly asked to catalog the conditions of the sun and record its subsequent eclipses with astonishing brilliance and precision, forming an inseparable link between visual artists and scientists.

Art and science may seem like the most different fields, but both harness the power of observation and interpretation, and both are rooted in the same human urge to explore and innovate. Many people in their respective fields are equally seeking the truth. Just as art conveys the most acute and novel understandings of society through a deeply personal lens, creativity always plays a key role in any scientific progress.

NASA seems to recognize the connections between disciplines. Six years ago, they launched a themed poster project to celebrate and advance the connection between art and science. The poster creatively depicts the environment in which people live on the path of wholeness. In honor of what NASA astronomers are currently calling the “Big Year of Heliophysics,” a year in which we celebrate the sun’s diverse effects on people on Earth, this project: In addition to providing safety and factual information, we also use imaginative graphics.

“This is also an issue of inclusivity. The posters were created by a diverse group of contributors of different races, backgrounds, and life experiences,” says Dennis Hill of the NASA Heliophysics Support Team. “We want everyone to connect and see themselves in this art project.”

The 2017 solar eclipse passed over several U.S. national and state parks and crossed the nation’s agricultural heartland. As that approaches, NASA has invited dark matter astronomer and eclipse tracking artist Tyler Nordgren to create an original scientific yet eye-catching project that will educate, engage, and promote space tourism in these remote locations. We had them create a poster to keep an eye on them.

Norgren first witnessed a total solar eclipse while attending a professional astronomy conference in Hungary. He was immediately overcome with elation and surprise. “I knew exactly what I was about to see, but the hair stood on his neck. In that moment, I understood the difference between knowing and feeling,” he says. “This is a multisensory experience that evokes a deep emotional response.”

Nordgren’s unique art style resonates with that emotion. It’s a captivating blend of essential communication and dreamy nostalgia, painted in soothing nebula tones. His work so skillfully highlights the iconic landscape of the eclipse region that it has been included in the Smithsonian Institution. Since the inception of the NASA project, he has been prolific in creating approximately 85 pieces of impressive poster art to promote public eclipse viewing.

While the art project will be extended until Dec. 24 of this year, NASA intends to continue the connection between art and science through a variety of periodic collections. After the solar eclipse event in April, an exhibition will be held where the public can imaginatively share their eclipse experience via social media. Hill added: “This is a way for us to appreciate beauty and connect creatively with the universe.”

This art provides a human perspective on solar eclipses. Nordgren explains: “A solar eclipse is not a cosmic alignment of the Sun, Moon, and Earth. It is a cosmic alignment of the Sun, Moon, and you, the observer, at a rare moment in time.”