(Oskar da Riz/Designboom/CASACOR)
Ever imagined a fusion of art, astronomy and spectacular landscapes ? Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson has created a unique pavilion on the Hochjoch Ferner Glacier in South Tyrol, Italy, near the Austrian border. The work, called Our Glacial Perspectives (Our Glacial Perspectives) is a route up the mountain that leads us to reflect on time and nature. (Oskar da Riz/Designboom/CASACOR)
Visitors follow a 410-meter path through the ice-carved mountain range, divided by nine gates. These are spaced at intervals corresponding to the lengths of Earth's ice ages, marking a deep timeline of the planet. Art of astronomy
(Oskar da Riz/Designboom/CASACOR)
(David Orru/Designboom/CASACOR)
The rings divide the year into equal time intervals – the top ring tracks the Sun’s path at the summer solstice, the middle ring tracks the equinox, while the bottom ring tracks the winter solstice. Visitors can orient themselves in space using the arches. (Oskar da Riz/Designboom/CASACOR)
The blue rectangular glass panels mark fifteen minutes of arc (15°) of the Sun's movement across the sky, allowing the visitor to determine the time of day based on the position of the sun. By marking the horizon and cardinal directions, Olafur draws attention to the the visitor's attention to a broader planetary perspective on climate change that is directly affecting Hochjoch Ferner. (Estúdio Olafur Eliasson/Designboom/CASACOR)
The windows are tinted in various shades of blue in reference to the cyanometer, a scale developed in the 19th century to measure the blueness of the sky. The colored glass filters and reflects light and solar radiation, acting as a mini-atmosphere. 
