Moon (Luna)

Telescope by Galileo (replica), Original c. 1610

This is a replica of one of only two surviving telescopes made by Galileo. He made his first telescope after hearing descriptions of a new device that had begun circulating around Europe in late 1608. He refined the design into a powerful tool for astronomy. The ornate decoration on the wood and leather tube suggests that Galileo made this telescope for demonstration to his patron Cosimo de Medici, rather than for regular use.
Sidereus nuncius, 1610

In this book Galileo reported the astronomical capabilities of his new spyglass. His drawings of the pitted lunar surface and Jupiter’s moons provided evidence to support theories of a Sun-centred Solar System. Sidereus nuncius could also be considered Galileo’s job application for a position at court in Florence. He called his newly discovered satellites of Jupiter ‘Medicean stars’ to impress the Grand Duke Cosimo II de Medici.
Kew Photoheliograph, 1857

This is the first instrument that was purpose built for astronomical photography. It was used at Kew and Greenwich to take daily photographs of the Sun. Warren de la Rue took this instrument to Rivabellosa in Spain to photograph the solar eclipse of 18 July 1860. The photographs were compared with ones taken 500 km away and proved that the prominences visible during an eclipse are part of the Sun, rather than an effect of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Diapositives of photographs taken with the Kew Photoheliograph, 1860-62

These photographs of the Sun and Moon were taken with the Kew Photoheliograph, the large instrument in the corner of this showcase. The Moon image, on the right, was taken at Kew Observatory. The Sun image, on the left, was taken during an expedition to north Spain to observe the solar eclipse of July 1860. It shows a partial eclipse as the Moon crosses the Sun before blocking it out completely.
Epitome of the Almagest, 1496

This book summarises Claudius Ptolemy’s theories – the basis of astronomy for over a thousand years. Around AD 150, Ptolemy wrote a work in Greek outlining known theories of astronomy. During the Middle Ages this was lost in Europe, but translated and widely used by Arabic astronomers who called it al-majisti (the greatest). Latin and Greek translations of Arabic works brought Ptolemy’s ideas back to Europe in the 1400s. This copy of the book shows an early example of recycling: it is bound in vellum that was originally used for church music.
De revolutionibus celestium orbium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres), 1543

Nicolaus Copernicus’s book, published shortly after the author’s death in 1543, offered scholars a new vision of the cosmos. Making the Sun rather than the Earth the centre of the universe offered a solution to many puzzling observations of the planets, although it would be many years before the controversial theory was widely accepted. This is a first edition of the book, one of only about 260 that survive.
Ptolemaic armillary sphere, 1500–99

This model depicts Ptolemy’s Earth-centred cosmos. The bands illustrate the motion of the Sun, Moon and stars. Armillary spheres were used in medieval times to teach priests how to calculate the hours of prayer at sunrise and sunset. Portraits of noblemen often included an armillary sphere to suggest wisdom and learning. More recently, novelist Umberto Eco chose the armillary sphere as a gruesome murder weapon in his 1983 book The Name of the Rose.
Copernican armillary sphere, 1807-46

With the Sun at the centre, this model demonstrates Nicolaus Copernicus’s vision of the cosmos. The central band shows the Sun’s apparent annual path through the zodiac, while the crossed bands mark the seasons. Copernican theory was firmly established by the time this model was made in the early 1800s. It includes recent discoveries such as the asteroids Ceres and Vesta. The model may have been used as a teaching aid or decorative item for a wealthy customer.
Moon Machine from A Grand Day Out, Mid 1980s

This little being is the actual Moon Machine that appeared in Nick Park’s first Wallace & Gromit film. The intrepid explorers found it on the Moon. Like many fictional aliens, it looks and acts very similar to things on Earth. It appears to be a cross between a robot and a cooker. It issues parking tickets, uses a policeman’s truncheon and dreams of a skiing holiday.
Lunar longitude calculator, 1880-85

This graph enabled sailors in the 1800s to calculate their longitude. First they would measure the angle between the Moon and prominent stars using a sextant. They then needed to do several calculations to work out their longitude – this graph helped to speed up the job. But it was still quite a laborious procedure, so when reliable chronometers were invented they soon became the preferred method of working out longitude.
Sextant, 1770-80

Until satellite navigation became widespread, this type of instrument was a vital tool for sailors and aviators. It is called a sextant because the metal arc is one-sixth of a circle. Looking through the coloured glass filters, an observer could measure the altitude of bright objects such as the Sun or Moon without risking eye damage. Captain Cook used a sextant similar to this one to navigate around the Pacific islands in the 1770s.