An inspiration to many space artists over the years, and indeed for some the person who started them in their art careers by way of example, and also to the many men and women who make the exploration and education of the realm of space possible every day, has become one with the Cosmos. He was a Fellow of the International Association of Astronomical Artists; of which I am also a Fellow, inducted the same year, and Chair of the Board of Trustees. Bob was among the six recipients of the IAAA's most prestigious honor first bestowed in 2000, the Lucien Rudaux Memorial Award; named for French astronomer Lucien Rudaux (1874-1947), who wrote and illustrated his own books with paintings that resemble the Apollo photography long before we had any real hope of capability to travel off the planet.
Every so often, I receive queries in my mailbox asking about various topics. Today, I was asked an astronomy question that intrigued me:
"Under enormous magnification, such as the HUBBLE – WHY ON EARTH don’t individual stars, when focused on, look absolutely ENORMOUS. I mean – focus on a GALAXY, and you see an object otherwise ‘apparently’ tiny, blown up to be quite visible in detail. However I have yet to see a SINGLE IMAGE of ANY star, that makes it look even REMOTELY like our SUN. Please explain to my satisfaction and I will be DELIGHTED."
This is perhaps a not so uncommon misconception. So, I set about to compile the answer, replied in detail and I share it with you here:
I ran across a couple of articles today, one by Paul Gilster of the Tau Zero Foundation on Centauri Dreams entitled Space Art: Reviving the Imagination and another by Jeff Foust of The Space Review on When Space and Art Intersect. It’s really good to see the resurgence in this area in so many circles and I thought I’d take a little break from The Making of the 21st Century Orrery series and get back to my original passion that started all this — Space Art. That is, Space Art in the classical sense that people know it; 2D paintings.
It’s always good when a project is finished; even better when it’s a success, better yet when it’s never been done before and the top when someone almost inevitably says: “You can’t do that!”
The bonus prize is doing it under severe adversity and not caving. Kinda like beating yourself in the head with a ball peen hammer, ‘cuz it feels so good when you stop.
Orrery, Orrery…? Fun to say, don’t you think?
What’s an orrery, you ask? Well, it’s a model… of something really big. Stick around and you’ll learn how big.
Now you can have one of your own. In blown glass, no less, with a flame and everything. This is the sixth in a series of Steampunk Rockets that has been a big hit. Who knew!?
We’ve got a couple of big ones that are really retro Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon rockets with bulbous bodies and curvy, super-pointed noses that will be coming along in the next few weeks. They’ll be about 10 inches (24.4 cm) tall when complete. This latest one is 3-finned, 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) tall and is really cool; with ribbed fins and tiny oval windows.
