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Dichroic Skylight

Before you even enter the Science Center, you'll see the world in a whole new light, thanks to the Dichroic Skylight in the pavilion outside the main doors. The special glass in the skylight changes colors throughout the day and casts beautifully colored patches of light across the floor of the pavilion.

 

To make dichroic glass like the glass used in the skylight, thin layers of metallic oxides are placed on the surface of glass in a high-temperature vacuum. Using different kinds and amounts of oxides (such as titanium, silicon and magnesium oxides) determines the final color of the glass.

Installation of the skylight

Even though the skylight seems to be made of one large piece of glass, it's actually made of many smaller pieces fused together. Getting enough glass for the skylight took a while, because the company making the glass could only produce 30 to 40 pieces a month.

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