CAPELLA

CAPELLA (a colourful celestial object) 

The galaxy is an expansive and elusive terrain.  We are surrounded in all directions by an infinite number of stars, planets and other interstellar phenomena.  The vast majority of these are invisible to us here on earth, and yet our night sky is filled with observable twinkles of light.  The study of astrophysics seeks to interpret physical laws, translating them into words that you and I can understand, so that, in the course of time, we may paint a picture of it. 

 

A dazzling apparition, located in the north-eastern night sky.  This mysterious object oscillates in position, radiating bright  flashes of distinct colours.  This is Capella (Alpha Aurigae – 5h16m41.4s), the sixth brightest circumpolar star in the sky,  beaming at us from 43 light years away.  Before reaching us, Capella’s light first interacts with the different temperatures and densities of the Earth’s dynamic atmosphere.  The atmospheric layers act as lenses, refracting Capella’s light rays,  generating an optical illusion that makes the star appear to shimmer, and sparkle colourfully in the sky. 

 

CAPELLA (a colourful celestial object) by Studio den Haan emulates the refraction of this natural phenomenon, and the resulting interplay of colour and light.  The installation invites the viewer to experience, up close, the behaviour of light in concert with other materials and substances, including optics.