Artists hope to turn selfies into comets
A pair of space art projects hope to light up the sky
For most of its history, spaceflight has been done with military, scientific or commercial motives in mind. But lighter-hearted uses are possible too. Wealthy space cadets can already buy trips into orbit (the next such mission, run by a firm called Axiom Space, is due to take four astronauts to the International Space Station on May 21st). Now two groups are planning to use the heavens for art. One wants to build an artificial comet; the other to set up man-made meteor showers.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Painting the heavens”
From the May 20th 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Scientific publishers are producing more papers than ever
Concerns about some of their business models are building
The two types of human laugh
One is caused by tickling; the other by everything else
Scientists are building a catalogue of every type of cell in our bodies
It has thus far shed light on everything from organ formation to the causes of inflammation
How squid could help people get over their needle phobia
Cephalopod ink propulsion is inspiring an alternative to syringes
Norway’s Atlantic salmon risks going the way of the panda
Climate change and fish farming are endangering its future
Artificial intelligence is helping improve climate models
More accurate predictions will lead to better policy-making