Mapping the moon: A hitchhiker's guide to the lunar landscape - Kilkenny Live

The Museum of the Moon, a luminous sculpture by internationally renowned artist Luke Jerram, was unveiled at St Canice's Cathedral on Monday, March 10. This seven-metre spherical lunar installation is open to the public for an exclusive three-week exhibition, free with admission to the cathedral. 

Museum of the Moon's detailed artwork is testament to Luke's mastery of his craft. By collecting data from NASA, Luke has been able to capture the surface of the moon in such a way that the model's canvas appears textured.

But what is the story behind all these grey patches and grooves?

The dark patches on the moon are called “lunar maria”. “Maria” is the Latin word for “seas”, which is what early astronomers mistook them for. These seas are plains of basalt, formed when lava flowed into impact craters.

The largest lunar sea is the Oceanus Procellarum, the Ocean of Storms, which dominates the western edge of the moon.

There are currently 9,137 recognised craters on the moon. The moon's atmosphere is not strong enough to impede the impact of asteroids the way the earth's can. Because of this, the moon is constantly bombarded with asteroids.

The impact craters on the moon span five lunar geologic systems, a time period of approximately four billion years; the oldest and largest crater is the South Pole-Aitken basin.

The moon doesn't create its own light; what we call moonlight is reflected sunlight. As a result of their iron-rich composition, the lunar seas are less reflective, and appear darker to the naked eye. 

There is no “dark side of the moon” per se, but there is a “far side”. The lack of lunar seas on the far side of the moon gives it a barren appearance not unlike the planet Mercury. 

Most of this far side is never visible to earth due to tidal locking, which occurs as a result of the earth's tidal forces slowing down the moon's rotation. 

Museum of the Moon by Luke Jerram runs daily from March 10 to 29. The full programme of lunar-themed events is available at https://www.stcanicescathedral.ie/museum-of-the-moon.