Authors: Maciej Zapiór and Artem Koval
“What is time then?
If nobody asks me, I know;
but if I were desirous to explain it to one that should ask me,
plainly I do not know.”
- St. Augustine
Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g., a planet or moon). The first circumnavigation of the Earth was the Magellan–Elcano sailing expedition carried out half a millennium ago. That first voyage around the world was one of the greatest achievements in human history. Since the rise of aviation in the 20th century, circumnavigating the Earth has become straightforward, usually lasting days instead of years. However, the fastest way to circle the Earth is via spaceflight. For instance, the International Space Station circumnavigates the Earth in roughly 93 minutes, completing 15.5 orbits per day. Today, the challenge of circumnavigating the Earth has shifted toward human and technological endurance, speed, and unconventional methods. The aforementioned ways of circumnavigating Earth relate to the spatial domain, which is described by three spatial coordinates. How can this be done within the fourth coordinate of space-time—time?
To answer this question, we must first define time. The answer comes from astronomy. In fact, time and astronomy are inseparable. Humans have used the motions of the stars, Sun, and Moon for thousands of years to regulate their hunting, agriculture, religious practices, and lives in general. From the cradle of astronomy, precise timekeeping has been essential. In astronomy, the determination of time is very practical. It is an angle between an astronomical object and a selected direction. Simply speaking, time is an angle. The true local solar time (shown by sundials) is the angle between the Sun and the local meridian. Universal Time (UT), used in all astronomical measurements/observations, is the angle between the median Sun and the Greenwich meridian. As professional astronomers, we work with time. We can confirm that CIRCUMNAVIGATION IN TIME is possible.
To describe the method of realizing this task, we first refer to the Solaris project, started in 2000. In the framework of this project, a new photographic technique called solarigraphy was introduced. Its concept is that we all live under the same Sun. This technique allows the recording of the Sun's tracks in the sky during extremely long exposure times—as long as half a year. It combines pinhole photography with a completely innovative approach using photographic paper. The solarigraphy camera consists of a camera obscura and a sheet of photo paper inside. In a final solarigraphy image—a photo paper without development—the Sun is visible as bright lines in the sky, interrupted by periods of cloudiness. Depending on the location on Earth, lines are formed higher or lower above the horizon.
In the Circumnavigation in Time project, we use the unexplored potential of the solarigraphy technique. At the Astronomical Institute, we have designed a prototype of a unique solarigraphy camera equipped with a shutter and electronic components (see Figure 1). The position of the shutter is controlled by a microcontroller, which is the heart of the system. The microcontroller steers the sequence of openings and closings of the shutter at precisely determined moments of time, as programmed in our code. As the Sun moves in the sky, the sequence is transformed into a pattern (e.g., letters, numbers, or symbols) above the horizon. We call this technique ENGRAVING IN TIME. The result of a 4-month exposure is presented in Figure 2. Thus, we treat time as a material into which engraving is possible.
Figure 1. The prototype of the Circumnavigation in Time camera system.
Figure 2. The result of a 4-month exposure in the framework of the Engraving in Time project.
After achieving successful results with the engraving in time technique, we aim to proceed even further. We propose using this technique to accomplish the Circumnavigation in Time project. To do this, we have deployed 25 solarigraphy cameras (24 active and one backup, similar to the one presented in Figure 1), which will be distributed around the world in almost every time zone to cover all longitudes. Exactly the same program (code) will be uploaded to all systems. It will execute the same sequence of openings and closings. While some areas of Earth's surface are illuminated by direct sunlight, the antipodes are not. Therefore, longitudinally distributed cameras will register different parts of the sentence. We plan to "engrave" a sentence that is simple, universal, and conveys a message to humanity. It will combine scientific and artistic content, reflecting their mutual relations and intersections. This sentence will manifest our motivation for executing the project: our unconscious call for non-rational activity mixed with the scientific desire to explore unknown areas. This sentence will be displayed in a rounded exhibition system, forming a loop with no beginning or end.
The main outcome of the exposition will be 24 solarigraphy pictures. As each picture will reveal a part of the sentence, we plan to exhibit them in a non-standard way. We will set up separate panels, each containing one picture, arranged in a circle with a diameter of a few meters. Spectators will be invited to step inside the circle and observe all the pictures around them. Thus, the entire sentence will be readable. In this way, we allow the spectator to experience Circumnavigating in time.
This project is unique because it uses the entire planet Earth as a rotating base. While solarigraphy is meridian-oriented, Circumnavigation in Time is "perpendicular" to it—parallel-oriented. Measurements of latitude during the Magellan–Elcano voyage were relatively easy, as they relied on observations of the Polar Star above the horizon. In contrast, measurements of longitude were complicated. They demanded precise timekeeping, which was not possible with the devices available at that time. Similarly, solarigraphy is relatively easy. It utilizes low-tech and low-cost pinhole cameras, which can be produced by anyone using everyday objects. Engraving in time, and thus circumnavigation in time, demands a well-designed and sophisticated system for accurate timekeeping. Our system, tested at the Astronomical Institute over the last few years, meets the aforementioned requirements. We are confident that our project will succeed.
This project has undoubtedly high outreach potential. It brings scientific content to the public and, in doing so, educates adults. In the modern era, collaboration between different institutions at the international level is extremely important. The project can strengthen existing partnerships and establish new bilateral contacts.
We aim to encourage a wide range of people to make a simple effort to engage with science. We have found a way to exploit our professional knowledge and experience creatively to produce an astronomy-based artistic performance. Such attempts are very rare and, when they do occur, typically originate from the artistic community rather than the scientific one. Through this project, we want to emphasize that science must be treated as an integral part of culture.
