Circumnavigation in Time
Authors: Dr. Maciej Zapiór and Dr. 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 biggest achievements in human history. Since the rise of aviation in the 20th century, circumnavigating Earth is straightforward, usually lasting days instead of years. However, the fastest way to circle the Earth is taking a spaceflight. Thus, the International Space Station circumnavigates Earth in roughly 93 minutes, completing 15.5 orbits per day. Today, the challenge of circumnavigating Earth has shifted towards human and technological endurance, speed, and less conventional methods. The aforementioned ways of circumnavigating Earth relate to the space domain, which is described by three spatial coordinates. How to do this within the fourth coordinate complementing the space-time that is TIME?
To answer this question, first we should provide a definition of time. The answer comes from astronomy. In fact, time and astronomy are inseparable. Humans have been using the motions of the stars, Sun, and Moon for thousands of years to regulate their hunting, crops, religious practices, and lives in every way. From the cradle of astronomy precise time-keeping has been essential. In astronomy the determination of time is very operative. It is an angle between an astronomical object and selected direction. Simply speaking, time is an angle. The true local solar time (shown by sundials) is an angle between the Sun and local meridian. Universal time (UT) used in all astronomical measurements/observations is an angle between median Sun and Greenwich meridian. As professional astronomers we work with time. We can confirm that CIRCUMNAVIGATION IN TIME is possible.
To describe the method of realization of this task, we first refer to the Solaris project started in 2000. In the framework of the project a new photographic technique called solarigraphy has been introduced. Its concept is that we all live under the same Sun. This technique allows to record tracks of the Sun in the sky during extremely long exposure times as long as half a year. It is a combination of pinhole photography with a totally innovative approach of using photographic paper. The solarigraphy camera consists of 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 place on Earth lines are formed higher or lower above the horizon.
In the Circumnavigation in Time project we use unexplored potential of the solarigraphy technique. In 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 in precisely determined moments of time provided in the code written by us. As the Sun moves in the sky the sequence is transformed into a pattern (for example: letters, numbers, and symbols) above the horizon. We called this technique ENGRAVING IN TIME. The result of the 4-month exposition is presented in Figure 2. Thus, we treat the time as a material, in which engraving is possible.
After successful results based on the engraving in time technique we attempt to proceed even further. We propose to use this technique to accomplish the Circumnavigation in Time project. To do this we plan to produce 24 camera-systems (similar to presented in Figure 1), which will be distributed around the world in almost each time zone, in order 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 the Earth's surface are illuminated by direct light from the Sun, at the same time the antipodes are not. Therefore, longitudinally distributed cameras will register different parts of the sentence. We plan to „engrave” the sentence, which will be simple, universal and manifest a message to mankind. It will combine scientific and artistic content, their mutual relations and intersections. It will reflect our motivation of executing the project: our unconscious call of non-rational activity mixed with scientific desire of exploring unknown areas. This sentence will be displayed in rounded exhibition system performing a loop with no beginning neither the end.
The main outcome of the exposition will be 24 solarigraphy pictures. As in each picture a part of the sentence will be visible, we plan to exhibit them in a non standard way. We will set up separated panels, each containing one picture, on a circle of a few meters in diameter. A spectator will be invited to get inside the circle and observe all pictures around him. Thus, the whole sentence will be readable. In this manner we will allow the spectator to undergo circumnavigating in time.
This project is unique because it uses the whole planet Earth as a rotating base. While the solarigraphy is meridian oriented, Circumnavigation in Time is „perpendicular” to it – parallel oriented. Measurements of latitude in the time of Magellanic–Elcano trip were relatively easy: it was about observations of the Polar Star above the horizon. On the contrary, measurements of longitude were complicated. It demanded precise time-keeping using clocks, that in fact was not possible by available devices at those times. Similarly, the solarigraphy is relatively easy. It utilizes low-tech and low-cost pinhole cameras, which can be produced by anyone from everyday use objects. Engraving in time, and thus circumnavigation in time, demand the well designed and sophisticated system for accurate time-keeping. Our system has been tested in the Astronomical Institute for the last few years and meets above mentioned requirements. We have high confidence that our project will be successful.
This project has undoubtedly high outreach potential. It brings scientific content to the public and in this way educates an adult category. In the modern era collaboration between different institutions at international level is extremely important. The project can be used for strengthening existing and/or establishing new partnerships and bilateral contacts.
We would like to encourage a wide range of people to make a simple effort to interact with science. We found a way of exploiting our professional knowledge and experience in a very creative manner to produce astronomical-based artistic performance. Such attempts are very scarce, and if they appear they originate from the artistic circle rather than from the scientific one. In the framework of this project we want to state that science has to be treated as a part of the culture.
