Elemental Structures is an interactive mural created in partnership with Fiske Planetarium, with support from Colorado Scholars of Astrophysics and Art, Zachory Berta-Thompson, and ASP. The installation consists of seven 7-foot-tall pillars, each depicting the emission spectrum of a different element: Iron, Hydrogen, Helium, Carbon, Neon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen.

Each element produces a unique spectral “fingerprint,” visible through a spectrometer, that allows astronomers to identify the composition of distant stars and gas clouds. By translating these spectral patterns into large-scale visual forms, the mural invites viewers to engage directly with the science of light. An accompanying activity, Fingerprints of Light, challenges visitors to match each pillar with its corresponding element.

On permanent display at the Fiske Planetarium in Boulder, Colorado

Completed March 2021