The exhibition “Look at that moon!” organized by the National Library of Naples and the INAF-Capodimonte Astronomical Observatory (Naples) will open on June 25th at 4:30 pm: the Consul General of the USA Mary Ellen Countryman, the Councilor for Culture of the Municipality of Naples, Nino Daniele, the director of the Observatory Marcella Marconi, the director of the Library, Francesco Mercurio and personalities from the academic and scientific world will be present. The exhibition, set up on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the landing of the first men on the moon, investigates, between scientific reality and romantic suggestions, man's relationship with the shining star. On display are testimonies of the interest in celestial phenomena that has been aroused since antiquity, including fundamental texts such as the poem by the Greek poet Aratus de Soli in a manuscript from the first half of the 15th century, a beautiful 1482 edition of the Clarissimi Hyginii Astronomi de mundi et sphere… with engravings in the text and woodcut initials, the early 16th-century manuscript with the ingenious mechanisms of the astronomer Peter Apianus, and the Novae coelestium, terrestriumque rerum observationes by Francesco Fontana (1646), which can be considered the first lunar atlas in history. The journey unfolds from geocentric representations of the universe, proceeding through literature and the philosophy of Giordano Bruno, who expanded the boundaries of space as it was known until then, up to modern science inaugurated by the revolution of Galileo and Copernicus. The evolution of astronomical studies and technology in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries is documented in various ways, including the beautiful watercolour plates of the Atlas by Johann Gabriel Doppelmayr (1742) and the extraordinary astrophotographs by Maurice Lœwy and Pierre Henri Puiseux (1877). Among the new optical technologies, the construction of the large telescopes of the 20th century with the creations of Francis Gladhelm Pease.
But the exhibition is also full of curiosities and peculiarities.
"The National Library wanted to give the exhibition 'Look at the Moon!'," emphasized Library Director Francesco Mercurio, "a unique, original feel: 'local' in character, reflecting Neapolitan culture, music, and poetry, yet at the same time 'international,' with material from the United States." "The collaboration with a leading scientific institution like the Capodimonte Observatory," added Francesco Mercurio, "has allowed us to combine a precious heritage with a strong humanistic focus, with texts and documents on the evolution of astronomical science and optical technology. Once again, this Library demonstrates its ability to cover all fields of knowledge and to foster a fruitful exchange with other cultural institutions in the city."
"The title of the exhibition 'Look at the Moon...'," observes Observatory Director Marcella Marconi, "encapsulates the wonder, the desire for knowledge, and the magic that has always come from contemplating our satellite. This exhibition aims to stand out from the many initiatives celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing by highlighting aspects of the study and imagination of the Moon most closely linked to the city of Naples, such as astronomer Ernesto Capocci's book "A Woman's Journey to the Moon," which preceded Jules Verne's novel From the Earth to the Moon by eight years."
The last sections of the exhibition are dedicated to the constant presence of the “Moon” in Neapolitan song, from EA Mario to Salvatore Di Giacomo, from Sergio Bruni to Roberto Murolo, the moon is the star of love and lovers.
Finally, the chronicle of the moon landing of the American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, which took place on 20 July 1969, is relived through the exhibition of newspapers and periodicals and a 3D visualisation of the first steps taken on the satellite with the chronicle by Tito Stagno, which convey intact the emotion of that extraordinary moment which truly united all the peoples of the world and created an indelible impression on all those who witnessed it.
EDITORIAL TEAM
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