This Cyanometer Measures the Blueness of the Sky

Cyanometers have been color-coding the sky since the late 18th century, but Martin Bricelj Baraga’s Cyanometer sculpture adds a modern twist. Located in the center of Ljubljana, Slovenia, the monolithic structure blends art and science, measuring the blueness of the sky and looking stunning doing so.

Not only does Baraga’s cyanometer periodically capture images of the sky and measure them against the 53-shade color wheel toward the top of the structure, it uses the data to imitate it, changing color to blend in with the sky. Day and night, cloudy or bright, its reflective surface shines for passersby in the various shades it adopts.