“Similar to how we all evolve over time, so do the stars above us.”
This was the driving force for this temporary walkthrough attraction which chronicles the life cycle of one star as we’ve read about – this time allowing you to witness these wondrous milestone events in real time. Going back to its birth at the inception of our universe, this experience would allow one to feel the unfathomable might of the Big Bang around them to the deafening emptiness of this star’s final moments as a black hole.
Created as a proof of concept with an installation of under 48 hours, the following pictures are entirely unedited and created through the use of physical effects, projection mapping, scenic painting, and prop fabrication.
STAGE ONE: OUR STARS ARE BORN
In the inky dark of a cold and endless void, all matter and energy which ever existed was contained in a singularity. In one moment, this forever changed.
The walkthrough begins with a black abyss of nothingness – except for a single glowing dot which pulses in the distance. Walking forward, guests encounter the first of many placards which appear to float in mid-air (mid-space?) as a result of the classic Pepper’s ghost effect. Informing guests on which stage of the star’s lifecycle they are witnessing, this signage serves as a guide in an indifferent universe. With a motion-activated sensor integrated into the area surrounding the placard, the glowing dot rumbles as it erupts into what we refer to as the Big Bang. Our universe is born.
Encompassing transparent mesh curtains come to life with projection mapped explosions of galaxies flying through an ever-expanding universe, along with a way forward – nebula-like pathways illuminate the sides of guests as it leads them into the next room, featuring a 12-foot wide recreation of our Milky Way Galaxy. A mix of scenic painting, hand sculpted polyester fiber fill, and projection mapping, guests continue on the orbiting pathway surrounding the swirling Milky Way.
STAGE TWO: CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF NEBULA
Mere moments after the Big Bang rocketed our galaxy into existence, this unprecedented amount of energy manifests itself into the building blocks of our reality.
Formed from condensed matter, protons and neutrons are created – along with the top billed element of the periodic table: hydrogen. It is this hydrogen gas which allows dusty clouds to form hundreds of millions of years later – bringing us to the first stellar nebula that you see before you.
Turning the corner, guests move forward along the pathway to see fiber optic lighting bleed into a cluster of what represents a blinding hydrogen gas cloud. With occasional dimming at points, it is almost as if the nebula is breathing in its development.
STAGE THREE: THE FAULT IN OUR SUPERGIANTS
Nearing the peak of stellar evolution – our massive star evolves into what we know as red supergiants.
Exhausting the immense amount of helium within their core, the burning of carbon signals the beginning of the end. However, this collapsive end marks a bright future for a supernova to form.
STAGE FOUR: GOING SUPERNOVA
With our red supergiant’s core losing the battle against gravity, its impending collapse results in its volume greatly reducing from the powerful presence it once embodied.
With temperatures drastically rising, something has to give.
This explosion becomes one of the biggest in the known universe, brighter than entire galaxies with a diameter of several light-years. Just as soon as it began, a star once a million times the mass of our planet collapses in less than a minute.
STAGE FIVE: BLACK HOLE IN ONE
With remnants and celestial scrap being left over from the supernova’s explosion, the collapse evolves into one of the most unsettling parts of our known galaxy – a black hole, despite knowing of its existence and characteristics such as having mass despite consuming no space.
There is no concrete theory of what happens to matter once it passes the event horizon – passing the point of no return to be lost in the black hole forever.
STAGE SIX: NEUTRON STAR FREE OF CHARGE
A black hole isn’t the only ending for a star. The density of a supernova’s resulting explosion turns into a defining factor of the fate of a star. The lower the density, the higher the chance of a neutron star forming!
The remnants you see in this corner of space are the shrapnel of one of these low density cores, forming into a star made entirely of neutrons.
Similar to how we all evolve over time, so do the stars evolve us.