Nine planets in one: Stunning oil painting

Image: Steve Gildea

Wednesday, February 12, 2014, 10:38 AM -

Now this is a feast for the eyes, and not just for astronomy buffs.

You're looking at "Planetary Suite," a set of nine oil on canvas paintings of our solar system's planets.

Artist Steve Gildea laboured over this back in the 1990s, but it's been making the rounds on graphics and science news websites since late January.

The nine panels span 13.3 feet by 6 feet when displayed as they are meant to be: Side-by-side so the individual depicted curvatures blend together to turn the nine into one.

And before the planetary purists out there say anything, there's nine, not eight, planets in this suite, since Pluto was still considered a full planet in the 1990s, before its rude and cruel downgrade to "dwarf planet" status in 2006.

RELATED: Read about seven frigid planets across our solar system.

It's part of the collection of Merrimack College in Massachussetts, where Gildea works as a professor in the visual and performing arts department.

Gildea himself seems to LOVE making space art. Check out his website for neat paintings of astronauts opening wine bottles, playing chess and flocking among books in glorious zero-G.