Exhibition
Solaris: Digital Solar Imaging in the Cayman Islands was an exhibition by the late Dr William (Bill) Hrudey, MBE and featured digital photographic images of the sun captured by a purpose-built telescope housed at the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI) Observatory. Built by the late Dr Hrudey, the Solar Newtonian telescope was the only custom telescope of its kind within the Caribbean and one of the largest of its type in the world.
The exhibition sought to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through an artistic lens — photography and a degree of artistic license were used to render the images. We are all aware of the sun but few of us have the opportunity to see what it really looks like, a rare opportunity which this exhibition gave us.
Featured Artist
Hrudey subsequently had the time to build his “dream” telescope. Though Hurricane Ivan destroyed most of the first version in 2004, Dr Hrudey was honoured as a Member of the British Empire (MBE). He passed away in 2018, rendering it capable of both solar night sky CCD imaging. The Observatory has been toured by hundreds of school students it has inspired their passion for science. Dr. Hrudey played a key role in four very successful STEM Carib Conferences hosted at UCCI for students of all ages, Dr. William Hrudey The late Dr. William (Bill) Hrudey was a retired surgeon from Canada who moved to the Cayman Islands in 1997 after a successful medical career. With a life-long interest in science and, located on UCCI’s campus. As the Observatory Director, faculty the general public. For his commitment to promoting science in the Cayman Islands, it was rebuilt donated to then-President Roy Bodden of the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI). Funds were raised through a variety of corporate community donors resulting in the establishing of the Dr. William Hrudey Observatory, Dr. Hrudey incorporated a variety of technical gadgets in the Observatory, teachers, and as an amateur astronomer in his teens.