Blame It On the Moon – Fiction or Fact?
The Slovenian Museum of Natural History has opened a new temporary exhibition titled Blame it on the Moon. As befitting a natural history museum, the topic was tackled largely from a natural history point of view. The questions such as how the Moon was formed, how we see it in the sky, what we would see if we landed on its surface, how it affects life on Earth will be answered through fascinating interactive as well as demonstrative popular scientific presentations. In the short animation of the Moon’s formation, you may be astonished by the fact that the Moon was formed in no more than 24 hours. You will be no doubt impressed by the realistic interactive model of the Moon at a scale of 1:2,000,000. This is the largest realistic model of our perpetual escort in the world. At the exhibition, you are also allowed to touch the real surface of the Moon, which fell to Earth as a meteorite after colliding with another celestial body. With an interactive virtual stroll on the Moon, you can explore its surface, craters and other interesting features. While presenting the research appertaining to the journey of man into space and his visit to our only natural satellite, you can listen to the statements by the astronauts who first stepped onto it. Furthermore, we of course present a few selected examples of how the Moon affects the life of people, animals and plants owing to its gravity and the Sun’s light that is reflected from it right down to us during different phases of the Moon.
The Moon, however, plays a major role in human culture as well. As the brightest celestial body in the night sky, it has been the stimulation for several beliefs, myths and legends, albeit mostly mistaken, of course. You can assess which statements are true and which are false with the aid of a computer video game. The Moon was, and still is, an inspiration for artists of various genres: from literature, music, visual arts to popular culture. At the exhibition, only a fragment of this influence is presented.
A popular-scientific publication was also published on the occasion of our exhibition.
Living with the Moon
The publication is an important supplement to the exhibition. It is not merely an exhibition catalogue but a book about the Moon, attempting to present our celestial companion and its effects on life on our planet to a wider audience in a simple way from diverse aspects: astronomical, historical, anthropological, biological, geological, technological and cultural. The book Living with the Moon will be read with joy by schoolchildren, teachers and parents, as well as space, nature, mythology and history lovers. We have never had a similar Slovenian authorial material about the Moon gathered in a single place.
As the exhibition title indicates, we the humans like to ascribe our troubles and sorrows to external influences, and it looks that the Moon has been most suitable for this throughout history. Even now, more than half a century after man’s landing on its surface, numerous fictional influences are ascribed to the Moon which, however, is far from reality. In spite of the fact that the Moon seems something so ordinary to us, the fact is that its movements through space and across the sky as well as its occurrences and characteristics, countless scientific discoveries and technological achievements during its conquest and studies remain poorly known to the public. We believe that the book Living with the Moon will alter this attitude of ours and that readers will pick up the book several times and find something new and interesting each time in it, perhaps something that will alter their view of the Moon, of the universe and man’s place in it. The publication is furnished with several authorial and historical photographs of the Moon and closely related phenomena, with photographs from the pioneering days of the Lunar explorations and modern, semi-scientific depictions of future bases on it.
Contents
THE MOON IN THE SKY, THE MOON IN SPACE
Presentation and explanation of astronomical phenomena in connection with the Moon, from the Moon’s phases to eclipses, from its movements in space to the terminator.
MAN AND THE MOON
An overview of tales, myths, and historical misconceptions about the Moon the entire world.
INSEPARALLY CONNECTED
The actual gravitational influence of the Moon on Earth and tides.
THE MOON AS A CELSTIAL BODY
From the turbulent formation of the Moon to the Lunar meteorite that will be exhibited at the Slovenian Museum of Natural History.
LIFE AND THE MOON Presentation of the effects exerted by the Moon by its gravity and light on living things on our planet.
EXPLORATION OF THE MOON A historical overview of the study and conquest of the Moon.
Editor: Andrej Guštin, Cosmolab
Assistant Editor: Irena Duša Draž
Design and Typesetting: Barbara Bogataj Kokalj
Authors (Slovenian Museum of Natural History): Matic Centa, Matjaž Černila, Mojca Jernejc Kodrič, Dr Miha Jeršek, Tea Knapič, Matija Križnar, MSc, Špela Pungaršek, Dr Tomi Trilar, Dr Al Vrezec
Authors (Cosmolab, Zavod za promocijo in popularizacijo astrofizike): Andrej Guštin, Liza Guštin, Dr Jure Japelj, Vid Kavčič
Principal authors of photos and drawings: Andrej Guštin, Dr Miha Jeršek, Tea Knapič, Matjaž Učakar, Dr Tomi Trilar, and others
Colophon of the exhibition
Project manager: Dr Miha Jeršek
Exhibition curator: Dr. Staša Tome
Exhibition authors: Dr Staša Tome, Matic Centa, Mojca Jernejc Kodrič, Tea Knapič, Matija Križnar, MSc, Špela Pungaršek, Dr Al Vrezec, Dr Tomi Trilar, Dr Miha Jeršek
Astronomy expert consultant: Andrej Guštin, Cosmolab, Institute for the Promotion and Popularization of Astronomy
Adaptation and interpretation of exhibition texts: Dr Staša Tome
Photos: Adrijana Godina, Andrej Guštin, Damir Hržina, Tea Knapič, David Kunc, Davorin Tome, Tomi Trilar, Alamy Stock Photo, ESA, NASA, Wikimedia Commons
Pictures: Galileo Project, Matjaž Učakar, Shutterstock
Animation of the Moon formation: script Andrej Guštin, animation Matjaž Učakar
Design of interactive astronomical presentations: Andrej Guštin
Video of the Moon under the surface of the sea; text, camera, editing and direction: Ciril Mlinar Cic
Interactive presentation of the Walk on the Moon: Boštjan Burger
Design concept: Sanja Jurca Avci and Tomaž Budkovič, both TRANS
Layout: Dolores Gerbec, TRANS
Light composition: Stanislav Zdešar (Lambda d. o. o.)
Language editing and translation into English: Henrik Ciglič
Exhibition texts are based on the authors’ texts from the catalogue Living with the Moon. Editor: Andrej Guštin. Assistant editor: Irena Duša Draž. Authors of the texts: Andrej Guštin, Liza Guštin, Vid Kavčič, Matej Centa, Jure Japelj, Miha Jeršek, Matija Križnar, Tea Knapič, Špela Pungaršek, Al Vrezec, Mojca Jernejc Kodrič, Tomi Trilar, Barbara Rovšek.
Implementation of the project:
Making of the realistic model of the Moon: design by Andrej Guštin, creating a 3D model file and 3D printing: MA – 3D design Matic Kajzar, artistic painting by Vladimir Leben, montage with rotation and lighting by Stanislav Zdešar (Lambda d. o. o.)
Recordings of the astronauts’ statements: Stanislav Zdešar (Lambda d. o. o.)
Adaptation of computer and video equipment: Stanislav Zdešar (Lambda d. o. o.)
Adjustments of furniture exhibition elements and assembly: Andrej Čuk Carpentry
Making of casts of the exhibition items: Borut Tome, painting by Vladimir Leben
Mounting of museum specimens: Ignac Lavrenčič
Regolith imitation: Dr Uroš Herlec, making of the footprint by Iztok Žgavec, showcase display by Jurij Rekelj
Display panel printing: Fotoformat d. o. o.
Making of computer tablet holders: Siworks (Matjaž Tome)
Acknowledgements
Our cordial thanks to Ms Maja Vardjan for the lent Lara Bohinc’s bracelet and the Museum of Architecture and Design for the lent bracelet of the same author.
Our thanks go also to Mr Iztok Hočevar for the lent Pink Floyd’s LP The Dark Side of the Moon.
To Ms Darja Lavrenčič Vrabec and her colleagues Vanja Dimc, Tamara Hozjan, Irena Kreševac, Dušan Koritnik, Matjaž Mišič, Alenka Novak, Špela Plestenjak, Elizabeta Purger, Darja Bolka, Veronika Vurnik Škrabec and Eva Zadravec from the City Library of Ljubljana our warmest thanks for their advices and selection of books and works of art related to the Moon.
Dr Ferdinand Šerbelj kindly advised us about the art works linked with the Moon, for which we are most grateful to him.
Warmest thanks to the City Library of Ljubljana for the lent book and sound materials.
Thanks also to Cosmolab for the lent material.
And finally many thanks to all the authors who were prepared to submit their photos for the exhibition free of charge.
