The second-largest piece of the moon on Earth — an irregularly shaped blackish-brown specimen weighing about 94 pounds (42.7 kg) and similar in size to a rugby ball — is now part of a special exhibit at Portland International Jetport in Maine.
The display titled "Fly Me to the Moon" also features one of the largest pieces of Mars on Earth, samples of the most beautiful extraterrestrial substance yet discovered and an iconic Gibeon meteorite celebrated for its striking resemblance to Edvard Munch’s painting, “The Scream.”
All the specimens are on loan from the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum (MMGM), which is located in Bethel, about 70 miles north of the jetport. The special exhibit is set to run for five years.
According to Darryl Pitt, a consultant to the mineral museum and a meteorite dealer, the chunk of moon was found in Libya in 2021, and was likely blasted to the Earth when an asteroid struck the moon. No one really knows for sure when it fell to Earth.
“We are thrilled to have ‘Fly Me to The Moon’ at the jetport,” said Airport Director Paul Bradbury. “We love celebrating unique aspects of Maine and the MMGM is certainly among them.” The Jetport services more than 2.2 million passengers per year.
The name of the exhibit pays homage to Frank Sinatra's classic 1964 hit, which was often associated with the Apollo missions to the moon.
“This exhibit will be full of beautiful examples of meteorite specimens from the moon, Mars and the asteroid 4 Vesta," noted Dr. Cari Ciorrigan, the Curator of Meteorites at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. "Having all of these samples on exhibit together in an airport, free of charge to the public, is an amazing educational and inspirational opportunity for those lucky enough to fly through Portland!”
Nestled in the picture-postcard town of Bethel, MMGM is a world-class museum and education facility featuring 40,000 gems and minerals, 6,000 meteorites, a library of 10,000 volumes and 17 interactive exhibits that present Maine minerals and gems in the context of local mining history and Maine’s geology. The 15,000-square-foot museum opened its doors to the public for the first time in December of 2019.
Credit: Photo by Scott Hight, courtesy of Maine Mineral & Gem Museum.