A SEVEN-METRE model of the Sun by internationally acclaimed artist Luke Jerram will take centre stage as part of the Eden Project’s Christmas celebrations.

Helios will offer visitors a rare opportunity to experience the nearest star up close as part of the charity and garden destination’s renowned festive programme.

The internationally touring artwork will be on display from Friday, November 20 until Sunday, January 2, suspended within the Mediterranean Biome and accompanied by an emotive festive soundscape.

The display combines detailed solar imagery and animated lighting to create a strikingly realistic representation of the Sun.

At a scale of 1:200 million, every centimetre of the artwork represents 2000km of the Sun’s surface.

Bristol-based Jerram, whose acclaimed installations include Gaia (which featured in Eden’s 2019 Christmas illuminations), created the artwork using imagery supplied by astrophotographer Dr Stuart Green and NASA, captured between May 2018 and June 2024.

Helios reveals solar features including sunspots, spicules and filaments, as well as the region of the Sun responsible for the solar flare that contributed to the Northern Lights displays seen across the UK in May 2024.

The artwork offers a safe way to view the surface of the Sun, following a period of renewed public fascination with solar phenomena, thanks to this year’s partial eclipse and astonishing aurora displays. For scale, Earth would appear at roughly the size of a tennis ball alongside the installation.

Named after the ancient Greek sun god, who was attributed to bringing daylight and the changing seasons, Helios celebrates the unparalleled importance of the Sun to all life on Earth and its influence on culture, religion and science.

Kate Francis, creative programme producer at the Eden Project, said: “For Eden, Helios is a reminder of the connections between sunlight, planetary health, the living world and mental wellbeing. During these dark, winter months, the artwork will bring warmth, light, positivity and an opportunity for reflection and togetherness at this festive time.”

“Having Helios come to the county as part of our festive celebrations makes Christmas at Eden one of the most unmissable experiences to end the year on.”

Elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2019, Jerram said: “The Sun has inspired humanity for millennia. It sustains all life on Earth, influences our climate and weather systems, and has shaped cultures, beliefs and scientific discovery throughout history.

“Through Helios and its distinctive setting within the Eden Project’s Mediterranean Biome, I hope people will experience a renewed sense of awe, wonder and appreciation for this celestial body that makes life possible.”