Helios, the huge sculpture of the Sun, is to be displayed at the Charterhouse in July and August this year.
The famous sculpture is by Luke Jerram. The seven-metre sculpture combines solar imagery, light and sound to highlight the sun’s intricate details.
Helios fuses solar imagery, sunlight and a specially created surround sound composition, including NASA recordings of the sun, by Duncan Speakman and Sarah Anderson.
At an approximate scale of 1:200 million, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 2,000km of the sun’s surface.
The National Trust is displaying the sculpture in a range of venues across the country. This includes the Charterhouse, which has recently been taken over by the Trust.
Luke Jerram said: ‘We all know that it is very dangerous to look directly at the sun, as it can damage our eyesight. Helios provides a safe opportunity for the public to get up close to, and inspect, its extraordinarily detailed surface including sunspots, spicules and filaments.”
Luke also created the Museum of the Moon which was displayed in the Cathedral ruins and Coventry Swimming Baths in 2017.
The sculpture will be displayed in the garden at the Charterhouse from 31 July–3 August 2025 and 7–10 August 2025. Opening times will be shared soon.