Spiral Nebula outside the Herschel Building, off Haymarket Lane, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne

The Spiral Nebula is a sculpture created in 1962 by Geoffrey Clarke, commissioned by Sir Basil Spence for the Physics Department of the University of Newcastle, which was then known as King's College, University of Durham. The sculpture is located outside the Herschel Building, positioned at an angle to the structure.

Constructed with a steel armature and cast aluminium panels, the sculpture was restored in 2012, during which it was painted with micaceous iron oxide and microcrystalline wax. It is a free-standing piece featuring a vertically-set shield and coil, topped by a tall spire, all resting on a narrow, rectangular platform or bench that stands about 1.2 metres high on rectangular legs.

The design is large and abstract, symbolizing the scientific advancements of the 1960s. The bench has an angular appearance, covered in textured cast-aluminium panels with projecting pegs or dowels. The main section resembles electrical equipment or a receiving dish held by a clamp with a V-shaped base at the northern end of the bench. This clamp is adorned with small, pegged cast-aluminium panels that mimic the look of wooden slats. One side of the main section features a large, loosely-wound coil covered in angular cast-aluminium panels, while the opposite side resembles a roughly circular shield or receiving dish made of cast aluminium with raised seams that cradles the coil. Additionally, two roughly horizontal, circular steel tubes extend from the aluminium panels, resembling stripped wires or antennae. The entire sculpture is crowned by a tall spire or antenna that rises approximately 4 metres, with the lower half also covered in small cast-aluminium panels, from which a circular steel tube emerges.