A giant Sun lands in Greenwich: Luke Jerram’s ‘Helios’ fills the Painted Hall

A vast scale model of The Sun has arrived in Greenwich, as Luke Jerram’s latest model of the solar system fills the Painted Hall.

The artwork measures seven metres in diameter and features 72dpi detailed imagery of the Sun’s surface. At an approximate scale of 1:200 million, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 200km of the Sun’s surface.

Unlike his previous static models of the solar system, this one is alive with the sun’s movement. If you watch it carefully, you can see the convection currents projected onto the surface. As with previous Jerram installations in the Painted Hall, the contrast between the science of the floating orb and the baroque paintings gives the whole such an interesting effect.

A tennis ball-sized model of the earth sits in a small case nearby, which is roughly what the earth’s size would be in relation to the Sun.

Helios is at the Old Royal Naval College’s Painted Hall until 25th March 2025.

Tickets to the Painted Hall and Helios cost £16.50 per adult (free for children).

Tickets are available here.

Helios will also be open late on Thursdays to 8pm, so you can see it glowing in the hall at night.

There are also Social Media Mondays and Quiet Hour Fridays, with fewer people admitted in the mornings.

The first Sunday of each month is a cheap entry day – with tickets for £5 each.