It is impossible to truly understand the size and power or the Sun. Sure it might burn us on a hot summer day, but it is so far away and so bright we never get a sense of its immensity and what it really looks like. It looks about the same size as the moon becasue, co-incidentally, its diameter is 400 times larger than our satellite but 400 times further away.
One way to get perspective is by visiting Helios, an impressive art instillation by Luke Jerram currently on display in the Concert Chamber of the Auckland Town Hall.
Suspended from the ceiling, this huge ball is six metres in diameter and each centimetre of it represents 2,300k of the sun’s surface. Sure it’s nowhere near as big as the sun but when you compare it to a tiny version of the Earth which is also on display you get some sense of how mammoth the star really is. The surface is ablaze with light and shows coronal ejections, sunspots and other abnormalities we can’t see with our own eyes.
There is something hypnotic and relaxing hanging out beneath this orb. What it represents is incredible and to look up contemplate the object that makes life possible on our home planet is rather special. Bathed in golden light everyone I saw looking at it seemed at peace and in a state of awe. This is the kind of thing we need in our lives. Art that reminds us of the beauty of our universe, and opportunity to just look and be inspired.
Saturday, 7 March – Sunday, 15 March 2026
Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall
FREE