Niccoló Spirito
Table lamp
Supernova Lighting Collection
Designed in 2020
Technical details:
Brass sphere D 25 cm W 12/10
32 ABS thimbles D 2.5 cm H 3.5 cm
Steel rod D 1.2 cm H 12 cm
Lead base covered in brass 12/10 H 11 x W 11 cm
Wiring: Niples M10x1 G9 6 LED bulbs W7 Warm
Supernova Lighting Collection was designed by Niccolò Spirito in April 2020 during the lockdown in Milan. A symbol of chaos to bring light and hope for new begginings.
A supernova is the explosion of a star. It is the largest explosion that takes place in space.
In 1604, Johannes Kepler discovered the last observed supernova in the Milky Way. NASA’s Chandra telescope discovered the remains of a more recent supernova. It exploded in the Milky Way more than a hundred years ago.
A supernova happens where there is a change in the core, or center, of a star. A change can occur in two different ways, with both resulting in a supernova.
The first type of supernova happens in binary star systems. Binary stars are two stars that orbit the same point. One of the stars, a carbon-oxygen white dwarf, steals matter from its companion star. Eventually, the white dwarf accumulates too much matter. Having too much matter causes the star to explode, resulting in a supernova.
The second type of supernova occurs at the end of a single star’s lifetime. As the star runs out of nuclear fuel, some of its mass flows into its core. Eventually, the core is so heavy that it cannot withstand its own gravitational force. The core collapses, which results in the giant explosion of a supernova.
A supernova burns for only a short period of time, but it can tell scientists a lot about the universe.
One kind of supernova has shown scientists that we live in an expanding universe, one that is growing at an ever increasing rate.
Scientists also have determined that supernovas play a key role in distributing elements throughout the universe. When the star explodes, it shoots elements and debris into space. Many of the elements we find here on Earth are made in the core of stars. These elements travel on to form new stars, planets and everything else in the universe.
