Giant replica of moon unveiled in Kolkata, thousands throng Victoria Memorial

Photo: Youtube

KOLKATA: The moon has descended on earth, that too in the city of Kolkata. The lawns of Victoria Memorial are flooded with the people who have gathered to witness the 3-D installation of the moon. 

The moon has been made by using imagery from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera.

The 'Museum of the Moon' is a project of the British Council, supported by the Ministry of Culture. The 3-D installation has been put on display at the northern gate of the iconic Victoria Memorial Hall in the city for the visitors.

The 'Museum of the Moon' project has earlier toured Bengaluru, Mumbai and Udaipur. 

The 23-feet-wide replica of the moon is half a million times smaller than the real moon and has been made by British artist Luke Jerram. The artwork has been put up with an aim to foster interest in astronomy among the youngsters.

Created in partnership with the UK Space Agency, the structure was unveiled in the presence of the director of British Council, India, Alan Gemmell, the secretary and curator of Victoria Memorial, Jayanta Sengupta, and the director of MP Birla Planetarium, Debiprasad Duari.

"This is an important project for British Council, it merges science with art. It is also interesting that the 'Museum of the Moon' project came to Kolkata 17 days after the total lunar eclipse," Duari added.