8 minutes

Interactive light installation | 2014

Data-driven, physical computing

8 minutes is an installation which represent the minutes that the sun light needs to reach the Earth. When there is a solar explosion, the red cube lights up, due to the NASA and NOAA open data service, with the same intensity of the wavelength of the phenomenon itself. This makes the 8 hung up white cubes light up alternating sequence, in order to create animations of interactive lights. Therefore, a visual link is created between our real world and the sensed time of the light.

Why we did it?

We have always been fascinated by space and unpredictable natural events, especially solar flares and space exploration. Thanks to new technologies we are able to see these phenomena directly from the Earth transmuted into high-resolution images, so we decided to create an installation which would revive the same feeling.

Science and Art

On July 19, 2012, an eruption occurred on the sun that produced a moderately powerful solar flare and a dazzling magnetic display known as coronal rain. Thanks to new technologies we are able to see these phenomena directly from the Earth transmuted into high-resolution images, so we decided to create an installation which would revive the same feeling. SWPC Real-time Monitor Displays show data plots that are created frequently. When viewed through web pages the plots automatically refresh to show the latest data. The plots show 3 days of 5-minute data, except where noted. The full size and smaller image files are also accessible as static filenames. The GOES X-ray flux plot contains 1 minute averages of solar X-rays in the 1-8 Angstrom (0.1-0.8 nm) and 0.5-4.0 Angstrom (0.05-0.4 nm) passbands. Data from the SWPC Primary GOES X-ray satellite is shown. As of Feb 2008, no Secondary GOES X-ray satellite data is available. Some data dropouts will occur during satellite eclipses.

Inspiration and Research

During the spring and fall, GOES satellites experience eclipses in which the Earth or moon blocks the X-ray instruments view to the sun for a short period every day. Eclipse season lasts for about 45 to 60 days and ranges from minutes to just over an hour. At these times there is a gap in the XRS signal shown. Other plots of interest: 3-day GOES 5-min X-rays; SWPC Real-time Monitors. SWPC X-ray alerts are issued at the M5 (5x10E-5 Watts/m2) level, based upon 1-minute data. Large X-ray bursts cause short wave fades for HF propagation paths through the sunlit hemisphere. Some large flares are accompanied by strong solar radio bursts that may interfere with satellite downlinks.

How we did it?

The first prototype was made with Arduino UNO + Arduino DMX Shield and some DMX RGB led sending dmx data through serial port. We use a Pixel Pusher, a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 processor

Light Design

Every Solar burst correspond to a color palette animation according to the wavelength of the Sun.

Data-driven

When there is a solar explosion, the red cube lights up, due to the NASA and NOAA open data service, with the same intensity of the wavelength of the phenomenon itself. This makes the 8 hung up white cubes light up alternating sequence, in order to create animations of interactive lights. Therefore, a visual link is created between our real world and the sensed time of the light.

Data-driven

When there is a solar explosion, the red cube lights up, due to the NASA and NOAA open data service, with the same intensity of the wavelength of the phenomenon itself. This makes the 8 hung up white cubes light up alternating sequence, in order to create animations of interactive lights. Therefore, a visual link is created between our real world and the sensed time of the light.

Sound Design

The Von Tesla audio was developed considering the averages of solar X-rays in the 1-8 Angstrom (0.1-0.8 nm) and 0.5-4.0 Angstrom (0.05-0.4 nm) passbands. Every Solar burst sound corresponds to a color palette animation.

8 MINUTES Interactive light installation from Roberto Fazio Studio on Vimeo.

Tech Rider

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