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The Star Chamber is a stone and log structure located on the quiet, wooded grounds of the Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory in Brentwood. Undressed stone laid in a spiral, galaxy-like formation surrounds the chamber. Large upright stones mark the position of the sunrise and sunset of each solstice and equinox. 

Inside the chamber, visitors perceive an intimate, dark space covered with a log roof over a concave plastered floor and circular wall. If you take a seat on one of the wall-mounted benches, your eyes will slowly adjust to the dim light, and you will begin to notice images on the walls and floor around you.

You are seated inside a camera obscura, which is created by a lens or aperture in the rooftop cover overhead. Natural light passing through this lens projects an inverted image of the sky, clouds, and treetops onto the dish-shaped chamber interior.

Once your eyes are fully adapted, you will find yourself seated inside a quiet, enclosed microcosm of the natural world outdoors, immersed in the image of swaying treetops, moving clouds, and the occasional hawk flying overhead. A select evening view of the night sky is enabled when the cover is opened.

For information on visiting this work, please contact the Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory at (615) 373-4897.