Like all major cities, London sufferers from light pollution, meaning that it’s not the best place to observe the stars and planets.
With this in mind, phone company O2 has created a ‘virtual Milky Way’, which will allow Londoners to see the stars, constellations and planets without even looking up.
With eight out of ten people in the UK (83 per cent) having their view of the night sky affected by light pollution. O2 have used innovative technology STARPATH to create the virtual galaxy.
O2’s galaxy, which is on Clapham Common, has been made from STARPATH – a liquid combining UV crystals and Photo-luminescent materials to create a night time glow. The elastomeric membrane can be sprayed onto a solid surface to make it glow in the dark, and in this case bring the stars to London.
By day the 26ft x 16ft artwork looks like a blank canvas, but at night thanks to 200,000 UV crystals which only glow in the dark, it emits a captivating bright blue glow – allowing onlookers to gaze upon a beautiful depiction of the Milky Way Galaxy.
Commissioned to mark the launch of the new Samsung Galaxy S5 phone on O2 Refresh artists used the crystals, which absorb and store light during the day via the sun’s UV rays, to make an huge ground-breaking installation that adapts and lights up its surroundings.
The installation will be using UV to invite passers-by to visit an entirely immersive 360 degree vista of the Milky Way galaxy at www.o2galaxy.co.uk where they can play a game giving people the chance to win a Samsung Galaxy S5 on O2.
