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Akhila S
December 22, 2021 · 5 min read

Art in Astronomy

Art Astronomy
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Art is nothing but a way of expressing the emotions of human beings. What makes them happy, fascinating, sad are all visible in art. The history of art in the domain of astronomy dates back to the palaeolithic age. Early humans painted the caves with natural colours. They saw it as entertainment. The tiny twinkling dots in the sky must have fascinated them. They painted what they saw on the wall.

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The cave paintings reflect the historic men's interest in space. The first example is the cave painting on the wall of Lascaux in France. The cluster dots seen above the aurochs bull in the painting resemble the Pleiades star cluster, also known as the seven sisters. The eyes of the animals and surrounding dots suggest that it is the Aldebaran star and the Hyades star cluster. Thus the animal's image relates to the constellation Taurus. These theories show that the people who lived in the Magdalenian era made a peerless work of art in astronomy. Apart from this painting, other cave paintings also confirm astronomical objects' presence in the palaeolithic age art.

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In 1301 the historic artist Giotto's painting 'The Adoration of the Magi' includes a comet in the sky, believed to be the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1301. In 1416 Limbourg-brother's 'The Duc Du Berry' manuscript comprises the earliest attempt at a realistic night sky picture. It includes meteors zipping from the sky. In 1515 Albrecht Dürer published the first known perspective drawing of Earth as a globe. Albrecht Altdorfer's painting 'Battle of Issus' is probably the earliest painting to show the curvature of the Earth from a great height. Johannes Kepler's novel Somnium, written in 1634, is considered the first science fiction book. This book is about a journey to the moon, which inspired people to do space travel and to think about lunar missions. These are some of the artwork dated so many years ago. Later many illustrations came.

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Later as time passed, the art also evolved. Art has become an essential part of life. We use it to express our thoughts, creativity, etc. Using art, we can describe anything. It can lead to revolutions and war. Astronomical art also emerged from its historical forms. It is a modern art genre that takes knowledge and ideas related to outer space, space travel, etc. Artists have portrayed aliens, the most fascinated back hole and space travel.

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The significant advancement was from 19 century onwards. Lots of magazines started publishing. Magazines were one of the primary outlets for people's artwork. Science and fictional magazines like Fantasy and science fiction, galaxy, and Amazing prevailed. Nowadays, astronomical art can be visible in magazines like sky and telescope, planetary report, etc. Social media also provide a vast platform for circulating your artwork now. To unit the artist in space art, so many initiates are happening worldwide. Nasa's Art program is one of them. It was from 1962 onwards. The primary role is to capture the historical events in various art forms. Another initiative is IAAA(International Association of Astronomical Artists). They create different art related to astronomy, and they serve as a platform for the artists to communicate around the world and each other and showcase their artwork.