Mumbai: Giant replica of the moon will be visible at Gateway of India

Artist Luke Jerram's Museum of the Moon will be at Gateway of India this weekend. Pic/British Council

A 23-feet wide replica of the moon, using imagery from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, and created with the UK Space Agency, will be visible at the Gateway of India this weekend.

Known as 'Museum of the Moon', this impeccable replica of earth's closest astral friend is the creation of artist Luke Jerram, and will be touring India at various pop-up destinations across the country as part of the British Council's UK-India Year of Culture. It is half a million times smaller than the real moon meaning one centimetre of it represents five kilometres of lunar surface.

"Luke's museum is a fun concept that we could pop up in cities around India, and it would help us to connect with the Instagram generation, where everyone is trying to get that perfect photo of the moon to get it liked, shared, and reposted," said Alan Gemmell OBE, director of British Council India.

"Some people kiss underneath it, others admire it from a distance or up close; it really is a spectacular image of the resting moon." "For eons, the moon has impacted society and culture; it's been worshipped as a deity, used as a timekeeper and has inspired artists, poets, scientists, writers and musicians worldwide," said Jerram.

"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. I hope this project restores a sense of wonder, inspires questions and reconnects people with the night sky."

Having appeared in Bengaluru, the Museum of the Moon will be heading to Delhi and Kolkata after Mumbai. "There is one other place that it's going to show up at, but we aren't revealing that just yet," said Gemmell.

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