Let There Be Light – Giant Sun Sculpture To Display In Birmingham To Illuminate And Educate

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Let There Be Light – Giant Sun Sculpture To Display In Birmingham To Illuminate And Educate

25/3/2026

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Sun Sculpture University of Birmingham

A museum dedicated to the Sun is a wonderful idea, we all know what it is, we all live because of it, and it’s also something we can’t really look at. That’s unusual enough, like a metaphor for God, we know and feel it, we catch glimpses, but anytime we directly look, we end up burned. We’ll never be able to recreate a true Sun in a museum; the human version must be a smaller and scaled artefact that sits comfortably in our world. That doesn’t mean we can’t tell the truth about it, from what we have already discovered.

A 5-meter-wide sculpture of the Sun has been acquired permanently by Birmingham University. On display to the public until November, there is plenty of time to catch that train or bus and visit the Black Country, absorb the old industrial heritage, and get up close and personal with our very own star. The sphere is covered in true to life photography of the Sun’s surface, bringing home the particulate nature of its convection currents and cells. Although plasma, immense pressures and magnetism create a kind of solid structure with visible pieces. Studying these individual parts helps us to understand a lot more about how the Sun works.

The illuminated Sun sphere shows all the known motions of stellar physics. Sunspots, flares, solar wind, and more are shown in real solar images that bring the dynamic entity to life. Being this close to the Sun is not something we can normally do, and in this safe and scientifically accurate environment, it’s a chance to do something not many have ever dreamed of. The things we see through telescopes and satellites can be drawn down to our level and provided in a way that still inspires awe and wonder.

Blending science and art, the exhibition is hoped to bring visitors closer to both subjects with a valuable and memorable contribution to both fields. We enjoy art for its own benefit, and there need not be a scientific or explanatory side, and we enjoy science too. Without the need for artists’ impressions and computer-made videos, the information is enticing enough. Yet, when we do blend the two fields, we expand the scope of our learning and our experience many times over. Finding the balance between the two aspects of communication is never easy, sometimes we need someone to shed some light for us.  If you want to get yourself on a learning curve, try FutureLearn. They support this journal with any purchase, plus you can also study for free.

Via BBC

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