RTE films Christmas broadcast with Gaia in the Old Library

Posted on: 24 December 2023

For those of us who wonder exactly how Santa manages his around-the-world flight every Christmas, RTE’s Christmas Eve news broadcast has offered a science-based explanation. 

News reporter Samantha Libreri picked Trinity’s Old Library, which is currently home to a revolving sculpture of the globe called Gaia, as the backdrop for a news item shown on Christmas Eve (below)  that seeks to explain this conundrum.

Featuring a special appearance by Irish astronaut Norah Patten, the item discusses the gravitational pull of the Earth.  

The aeronautical engineer and Business Development Manager with Réaltra Space Systems Engineering in Dublin said the North Pole has been deploying some of the systems used by the likes of NASA and the European Space Agency when he takes flight.

"For example they use composite materials which are very light weight and very strong. They have sensors embedded throughout and these allow the elves to understand the weight distribution of the Sleigh as they pack all the gifts and presents."

Gaia is a temporary installation currently on view in the Long Room of the Old Library in Trinity. A touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram, it measures seven metres in diameter and is created from detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface. 

ENDS

• Tags:
• Science
• Society