How and why do humans look at the sky, stars, and sun, and how do we try to make sense of what we see? On a small mesa in northern New Mexico where the Sangre de Cristo Mountains meet the eastern plains, artist Charles Ross is creating an art installation ... More »

How and why do humans look at the sky, stars, and sun, and how do we try to make sense of what we see? On a small mesa in northern New Mexico where the Sangre de Cristo Mountains meet the eastern plains, artist Charles Ross is creating an art installation that is also a star observatory. This major earthwork has two main elements: the Star Tunnel, which allows you to walk through the entire history of the earth's changing alignment to our North Star, Polaris; and the Solar Pyramid, where one can visually experience an hour of the earth's rotation. In November 2003, Exploratorium staff members visited Charles Ross's work-in-progress, Star Axis. We explored our perceptions of time, how time relates to celestial activity, and our connection to exploring the heavens. Less «