Ever since the Apollo 11 mission took off to land on the moon in 1969, many of us desired to follow in the footsteps of Neil Armstrong and visit this beautiful celestial body orbiting the earth. Till date only 12 very lucky astronauts have been to the moon. But what about the rest of us? What if the Moon came to us instead?
A 23-feet-wide replica of the Moon was installed at the Gateway of India in Mumbai to mark 70 years of the British Council in India. The art project is the creation of artist Luke Jerram who conceptualised the project using imagery from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera and UK Space Agency. Known as ‘Museum of the Moon’, the project comes a year ahead of the golden jubilee of the historic Apollo 11 mission through which man first stepped onto an extraterrestrial surface. The installation comes a few days after the rare phenomenon of Super Blue Blood Moon took place on January 31, 2018.
The art installation is intended to serve as a reminder of the significance of Earth’s only natural satellite — worshipped as a deity and used as a timekeeper in the medieval era and its scientific purpose realised in the modern era. One cm of the replica denotes 5 km of the actual lunar surface.
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Jerram told Mid-day,
“Before gas lamps and electricity, the moon was the only source of light at night. It’s a vital light source for navigation and to work by. Living in cities, illuminated by electricity, we have in many ways become disconnected from the moon.”
Jerram hopes that the project reconnects the ‘Instagram generation’ to the night sky and evoke a sense of wonder.
Check out the pictures:
Hello Mumbai! We’re excited to bring @lukejerram‘s Museum of the Moon to the iconic #GatewayofIndia!
Join us all day today and tomorrow to witness the splendour of this magnificent moon!#InspiredbyIndia #70years #MuseumoftheMoon pic.twitter.com/yCnDNYUxx6
— British Council India (@inBritish) February 3, 2018
#MuseumOfTheMoon at Gateway Of India pic.twitter.com/6qV03bH8AM
— Mumbai Heritage (@mumbaiheritage) February 3, 2018
At #GatewayofIndia #museumofthemoon public art installation by @lukejerram @inBritish rigged by @NaturaAdvCrew pic.twitter.com/UQBlKnRq18
— Priyanka Desai (@pdlight) February 3, 2018
The moon has landed at the iconic Gateway of India. We bring you #MuseumOfTheMoon supported by State Government of Maharashtra. Be there to witness the magnificent artwork by @lukejerram #InspiredbyIndia #70years pic.twitter.com/JCrOC3weVP
— British Council India (@inBritish) February 3, 2018
Mumbai Magic..Moon on Gateway of India #TheMuseumoftheMoon https://t.co/r2GT9GGTQk pic.twitter.com/ZRZjSXmvOy
— News24 (@news24tvchannel) February 3, 2018
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The ‘Museum of the Moon’ previously appeared in Bengaluru. After Mumbai, the art project will travel to Delhi and Kolkata.
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