Solarium

The Solarium at the Center: Reaching New Heights will immerse all visitors into the Sun’s atmosphere and give them an up-close look into the world of Heliophysics (the study of the Sun and its interactions with the Earth) and Helioseismology (the study of the propagation of wave oscillations in the Sun). Journey into the Sun’s atmosphere and explore the unique features of the Sun, creating an out-of-this-world experience. Be mesmerized by the Sun’s dancing atmosphere while  listening to the sounds of the Sun.

The images used by the Solarium were taken and recorded by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which can take a picture almost once per second. The SDO is able to capture these wavelengths of light, varying from ultraviolet (invisible to the naked eye) to visible light. Once the SDO captures images like these, it sends data in the form of binary (0’s and 1’s) back to scientists, who then translate the data into the images like the ones seen at the Solarium. The images that are produced have the resolution of eight times that of an HD TV and are turned into a time-lapse video. The Center’s Solarium covers a large area within the designated exhibit and uses the classic ambient sounds of the sun produced by real sun data.