We get a lot of cloudy nights in the UK. More often than not you can’t see the stars or the moon, which sucks because they’re pretty impressive things to behold. Who needs the real moon, though, when you can see an exact replica up close and personal this month in Bridgwater in southern Somerset.
You heard us – a replica. Well, almost. As you probably guessed, it’s a little bit smaller than the original. The installation is 350,000 times smaller, to be exact. Each centimetre on the model is representative of 3.5km of moon, making it exactly 10 metres in diameter.
‘The Fallen Moon’, created by artist Luke Jerram, will be floating in the docks of Bridgwater’s Northgate from October 14 until November 3. The piece celebrates the area’s upcoming £5 million makeover, which will regenerate the harbour and create 40 new mooring spaces. It’ll be welcomed to the world with a concert from local band Tongues of Fire following a Q&A with the creator, which you can buy tickets to here.
But don’t worry if you can’t make the launch party. Every day from 5.30pm to 8.30pm the lunar surface will be lit up, and on November 1 and 2 it will become a ‘carnival moon’, to mark the village’s annual fete. We’re not entirely sure what a carnival moon is either, so you’ll just have to go and find out for yourself when the time comes.
The town hall will also play host to a family day and temporary planetarium on October 20 so you can remind yourself of what the celestial bodies look like when they’re not hanging out in your local river.
In other UK news on Time Out...
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