Lewis Andrews

The power plants of the cosmos. After beginning their lives when a nebula cloud experiences gravitational collapse, Stars undergo thermonuclear fusion within their cores throughout their lifetimes. Predominantly this is the fusion of hydrogen into helium as is the case for our sun. Our sun is the power plant of our solar system, converting roughly 700 million tons of hydrogen into 695 million tons of helium every second. The missing 5 million tons is converted into energy. This energy is equivalent to detonating 400 billion one-megaton nuclear bombs every second; Millions of times more than the entire nuclear arsenal on our planet. That's just our sun.

 

Our galaxy contains anywhere from 200 - 400 billion stars. Ranging in size, mass and luminosity, stars are where the elements within our periodic table are fused into existence. Some in their cores and others when they end their lives. The most extreme is the death of supergiant stars in various colossal explosions called 'Supernova'. 

 

'Thermonuclear Furnace' breaks the distance and offers their viewer a viewpoint up close with these behemoths of the cosmos. Incorporating a drawing containing elements forged in stars billions of years ago and digital techniques to try and visualise their origins, the work transports viewers across billions of years and thousands of light years.