Achernar
(19"L x 19"W x 36"H)
This StarSentient™ sculpture is named after the star Achernar, the brightest star in the southern hemisphere constellation of Eridanus. It’s the ninth brightest, but also the hottest and bluest of all known stars. It is the primary component of a binary system with a central blue giant star approximately 144 light-years from Earth, accompanied by a smaller companion star rapidly orbiting around it. The central star rotates at a fantastic speed of 150 miles per second and is distorted into an oblate disk instead of being spherical. Part of this distortion dynamic is the proximity of the second star and the speed of its orbit around the primary (as much as 190,000 miles per hour). Of course, it is huge at 7 or 12 times larger than our Sun, depending on whether measured top to bottom (smaller number). Its name comes from the Arabic meaning, “the end of the river.”
The sculpture is constructed of a central, blue, sandblasted disk crowned with a clear, uranium glass, sky-reaching four-pointer. Layered below is a curvilinear and spherical, sandblasted uranium glass element, bonded to lyrical, clear, and olivine crystal. The sculpture design captures light to evoke a subtle interplay of glow and shadow. Its curved and balanced forms convey both strength and calmness. Through it, the essence of cosmic grace is transformed into a physical manifestation drawn from oceanic morphology to celebrate the dance of the celestial cosmos.
