Butterflies on the Sun
Solar cycles 17-24 (1933 - 2008)
2024, 29.7 x 42cm, Giclee prints on paper (Edition of 1000 signed Prints)
Michael WHITTLE
Data provided by David Hathaway
Solar cycles 17-24 (1933 - 2008)
2024, 29.7 x 42cm, Giclee prints on paper (Edition of 1000 signed Prints)
Michael WHITTLE
Data provided by David Hathaway
About the Artwork:
For millennia, the enigmatic dark spots on the surface of the Sun have captivated observers, with the first recorded sightings dating back to ancient China circa 800 BC. In 1904, the astronomers Annie and Edward Maunder decided to plot the size and position of these sunspots, and discovered patterns that are remarkably similar to the wings of a butterfly. These diagrams became known as ‘Butterfly Diagrams.’ These Butterflies were created using data provided by retired NASA scientist David Hathaway, a world-renowned expert on Solar physics.
For millennia, the enigmatic dark spots on the surface of the Sun have captivated observers, with the first recorded sightings dating back to ancient China circa 800 BC. In 1904, the astronomers Annie and Edward Maunder decided to plot the size and position of these sunspots, and discovered patterns that are remarkably similar to the wings of a butterfly. These diagrams became known as ‘Butterfly Diagrams.’ These Butterflies were created using data provided by retired NASA scientist David Hathaway, a world-renowned expert on Solar physics.
Michael WHITTLE
Michael Whittle is an artist and researcher specializing in Diagrammatology, the study of diagrams. He previously qualification and training as a Biomedical Scientist, before changing subject to study fine art. His artistic practice incorporates images, ideas, and data from science, as well as dialogues with scientists about their research interests and motivations. Recent projects include ‘Butterfly on the Sun’, a large-scale installation for the 2022 Changwon Sculpture Biennale developed in consultation with astrophysicist David Hathaway of NASA’s Ames Research Center. In 2023, Whittle co-founded ‘Pollen’ with artist-technologist Atticus Sims, an AI-powered creative studio in Kyoto, Japan. He is currently Associate Professor of Contemporary Art in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Macau.
Michael Whittle is an artist and researcher specializing in Diagrammatology, the study of diagrams. He previously qualification and training as a Biomedical Scientist, before changing subject to study fine art. His artistic practice incorporates images, ideas, and data from science, as well as dialogues with scientists about their research interests and motivations. Recent projects include ‘Butterfly on the Sun’, a large-scale installation for the 2022 Changwon Sculpture Biennale developed in consultation with astrophysicist David Hathaway of NASA’s Ames Research Center. In 2023, Whittle co-founded ‘Pollen’ with artist-technologist Atticus Sims, an AI-powered creative studio in Kyoto, Japan. He is currently Associate Professor of Contemporary Art in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Macau.
David HATHAWAY
David Hathaway was an astrophysicist at NASA for 30 years, and is the former head of the Solar Physics Branch at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. His research interests include observing, modeling, and predicting the sunspot cycle, and understanding the magnetohydrodynamics of the Sun’s interior and how it produces the Sun’s atmospheric features. Author of over 200 papers, Hathaway has received dozens of awards from NASA, including the NASA Inventor of the Year Award in 2002, and the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 2014. He also received the Space Foundation’s Space Technology Hall of Fame Medal in 2001. Professor Hathaway retired from NASA in 2016 but continues to work on his areas of interest.
David Hathaway was an astrophysicist at NASA for 30 years, and is the former head of the Solar Physics Branch at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. His research interests include observing, modeling, and predicting the sunspot cycle, and understanding the magnetohydrodynamics of the Sun’s interior and how it produces the Sun’s atmospheric features. Author of over 200 papers, Hathaway has received dozens of awards from NASA, including the NASA Inventor of the Year Award in 2002, and the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 2014. He also received the Space Foundation’s Space Technology Hall of Fame Medal in 2001. Professor Hathaway retired from NASA in 2016 but continues to work on his areas of interest.
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