Celestine, – or celestite as it is also called, is a playful mineral often found trapped in geodes. Which is strange since it gets its name from Latin – Celestis or sky. Maybe it’s bluish glow, or maybe because the strontium in it is used in fireworks?
Celestine in the sky.
A variation on the structure of a Celestine crystal from Montecchio Maggiore, Vicenza, Italy.
Resource by Brigatti, Galli, and Medici.
10-26. Celestine #5.
Celestine atoms coming out of their cube.
From a resource by Garske & Peacor
10-25. Celestine #4.
The Celestine crystal symmetry stands like an alien or very ancient code at times… Pretty to look at, difficult to decipher.
From a resource by Jacobsen, Smyth, Swope, and Downs.
10-24. Celestine #3.
Celestines often live and grow in geodes. It seems to be in their DNA, artwise, as it is a recurring presence in all the sketches I go through.
From a resource by Hawthorne and Ferguson
10-23. Celestine #2.
A Celestine from Madagascar.
From a resource by S. Antao.
10-22. Celestine #1.
Cyrilovite, Celestine – minerals come in nice and exotic names sometimes!
Celestine, – or celestite as it is also called, is a playful mineral often found trapped in geodes. Which is strange since it gets its name from Latin – Celestis or sky. Maybe it’s bluish glow, or maybe because the strontium in it is used in fireworks?
Celestine can be found in small quantities, pretty much all around the world. Its crystal belongs to the orthorhombic system and its symmetry is Pnma. The biggest one so far is 18 inches wide and weigh 300 pounds. A piece of the sky fell to earth!
Its chemical profile is SrSO4. So, here is a Celestine Haiku, thanks to the ingenious periodic table of scientist and poet Mary Soon Lee.
Celestine
I strive for indépendance
Sweet days are long gone
Yet, I still can’t spell your name
Visualization from a resource by Miyake, Minato, Morikawa, and Iwai
