The vastness of space is unquantifiable; pronounced, but misunderstood in its perplexity. It’s home to some of the most mesmerizing phenomena that we’ve seen, and an indiscernible amount of things that we haven’t, making it a medium of mythical proportions. Now, the German vehicle manufacturer, BMW, has brought their understanding of the universe to the automotive realm with the X6 VBx2 Vantablack — the stealthiest vehicle ever produced.
For this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW has introduced the shadowy X6 VBx2 — a one-off show car that channels a scientific understanding of light, or lack thereof. To create the vehicle’s unique colorway, the company has implemented a series of carbon nanotubes — each 5,000-times thinner than a human hair — to absorb surrounding light. In an effect similar to what we’ve seen from space’s distant stars and galaxies, the coating serves to pull this light into an inescapable space, allowing for the contours of the vehicle to elude the eyes of the viewer. However, the X6 is still somewhat visible, thanks to the array’s one-per-cent total hemispherical reflectance (THR), making it the darkest shade of black available today. Initially, this technology was devised for optical devices and space-faring components, allowing researchers to observe galaxies and stars that were once unnoticable due to their absorption of the sun’s light.
