Luke's Eclipse

2021

 

In 1977, audiences worldwide were with Luke Skywalker as he solemnly watched a sunset of two suns on a quiet Tatooine evening. Luke took generations of us into his world of the imagination and thus inspired us to get up and explore our own. By looking, we’ve found wonders without limit.

 

Since 2009, the Kepler Space Telescope has discovered hundreds of new worlds beyond our home solar system. Many of them orbit within binary star systems, in fact having two suns glowing in their sunsets.

This sculpture highlights eclipses within the Kepler-47 star system, 3442 light years distant. Kepler-47’s two stars include a yellow sun much like ours, closely dancing in a tight, 7.45-day orbit with a smaller red dwarf star. The pair are, in turn, both orbited by four planets. As seen from those worlds, the two stars in their skies should not only provide haunting sunsets that Luke would find familiar, but also eclipse one another every few days.

 

Thanks for bringing us the wonder, Luke. This eclipse is for you.