Join Matthew Shindell, curator of Planetary Science at the Smithsonian, and rediscover these meticulously detailed, hand-rendered and airbrushed charts. Now – for the first time – the maps are plotted with key geological features and lunar landings, and paired with up-to-date satellite imaging and historic lunar photographs. For millennia, the Moon has been a source of wonder and symbolic significance as well as a tool for marking the passage of time. In 31 revelatory articles, a team of experts explores the role of the Moon in mythology and popular culture, and traces our evolving scientific understanding of the Earth’s natural satellite, from the creation of the prehistoric lunar calendar to the launch of the Artemis missions.
Press Reviews
BBC Sky at Night
Physics World
Nature Astronomy
Geoscientist
Matthew Shindell is a historian of science whose work focuses on the history of the Earth and planetary sciences, in particular on the development of these fields during the Cold War. He is the curator of Planetary Science at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and co-hosts the Museum’s podcast, AirSpace. Shindell received a PhD in History of Science from the University of California, San Diego, and has taught at the University of Southern California and Harvard University. In addition to writing poetry, he is the author of The Life and Science of Harold C. Urey, co-author of Spaceships and Discerning Experts: The Practices of Scientific Assessment for Environmental Policy and co-editor of Smithsonian American Women. His latest book, For the Love of Mars, was published May 2023.
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