In Alaska, Canada, northern Europe and other places close to the North Pole, as well as in the Antarctic, the night brings a wavy curtain of green, blue, red and other colored lights stretching across the sky. As evening passes to midnight and on to dawn, the folds of the curtain make fantastic decorations over the heavens, forming arcs, rays and wreaths. This is the aurora. It has been called a symphony of light, at times leaping into the distance, at other times moving slowly forward.
In Roman mythology, Aurora was the goddess of the dawn. Inuit peoples of Alaska, Canada and Greenland believe that the aurora is the fire of torches lighting the way to heaven for the spirits of the dead. The beautiful pink ray s which sometimes appear are thought to be the color of blood shed in the stru ggles between the spirits. The Vikings of northern Europe took the aurora to be a huge flame. In Japan, an entry in the ancient "Nihon Shoki" is thought to refer to the aurora, while in China a great many sketches resembling the aurora remain. The dark red aurora was considered to be an omen of ill fortune. These are some of the many legends concerning the aurora which still exist in various parts of the world. Ancient peoples were probably reduced to silence in the face of this grand phenomenon of light created by nature. They must have regarded it with a sense of sacredness and awe. At the Science Museum, Tokyo, a comprehensive series of exhibits introduces facts about the aurora. The main exhibit consists of a virtual reality aurora created on a large high-definition screen. At the center of this installation is a unique equipment which recreates the earth's aurora phenomenon using a 100 million:1 mini-model. Additional exhibits include a sound representation of changes in the earth's magnetic field which are closely related to the aurora, a display which uses a sensor to catch cosmic rays falling to the earth, a display which compares similarities between the aurora mechanism and a television tube, a laser art display and interactive colored art. The whole exhibition is designed to stimulate and fascinate visitors to the Museum. We hope that as many people, particularly young people, will visit the Museum to experience the mystery and excitement of the aurora and learn about the principles of deep science.
1.Resemblance between aurora and television
The aurora is a grand and beautiful luminous phenomenon coloring the night sky in the extreme northern and southern hemispheres. An aurora of 10,000 kilometers in length stretching across the night sky can be thought of in terms of an image projected on a television screen. Using a mechanism similar to that of a television receiver, this exhibit produces a deep 3-dimensional image of the aurora in layered cut-acrylic. Gazing at the aurora can be likened to looking at a gigantic television receiver connecting the earth's atmosphere to the sun 150 million kilometers in the distance.
2.Sound display of geomagnetism
Elementary particles including protons and electrons, neutrons, gamma rays, X-rays and neutrinos shower down onto the earth. In this exhibit, cosmic rays falling onto the Science Museum and radiation emitted from terrestrial materials are caught by Geiger counter. Activated flashing lights produce a realistic effect of cosmic rays flying through space.
3.Light display of cosmic ray
The earth is one large magnet, with magnetic poles at either end, and enclosed banded lines of magnetic force connecting the poles. The lines of magnetic force are constantly changing as a result of terrestrial movements and shock waves of plasma coming from the sun. The environs of the Science Museum are subject to the same fluctuations of the magnetic field. In this exhibit, the fluctuations of the magnetic field are caught by sensor, transformed into sound and played through a specially-shaped metal speaker phone. The effect produced is that of a space symphony.
4.HDTV aurora explanation
The aurora phenomenon as it occurs on a universal scale is introduced on "high vision." When the high vision commentary ends, the "Luminescence of the Aurora" installation (see above) begins.
5.Aurora mini simulator
The phenomenon of the aurora is caused by electrons and other particles which bombard the upper atmosphere oxygen and nitrogen atoms of the northern and southern polar regions. This exhibit compresses the aurora phenomenon into a 100 million:1 mini-model. In the glass case the earth is represented as a globe of 12-centimeters in diameter, surrounded by magnetic bands. Since the scale is that of the universe, with aurorae seen actually circling the earth in from pole to pole, the viewer is able to make accurate comparisons.
6.Aurora illusion
This installation allows visitors to enjoy the fantastic images of the aurora by active participation. Blue and green lasers are directed onto a mirror-like revolving sculpture. Light reflected onto a screen depicts beautiful patterns. By controlling the movement of the sculpture various patterns are created.
7.Aurora image
The setting is a view of the aurora from a house window. The participant experiences the size and beauty of the aurora spreading across the heavens. Changes in the shape of the aurora from evening through midnight to morning appear on a 100-inch high-definition projecter, making a profound effect on the viewer.
8.PC aurora information
Various information concerning the aurora is provided on personal computer.
9.Aurora design
This participatory installation enables visitors to create fantastic aurora images. By placing one's hands onto a television screen and moving them an irregular reflection of lights and shapes are projected onto a stainless steel wall mirror. The diverse patterns give the participant the feeling that he or she is creating the aurora appearing on the wall.
