Current:Home > MarketsTravelers through Maine’s biggest airport can now fly to the moon. Or, at least, a chunk of it-LoTradeCoin
Travelers through Maine’s biggest airport can now fly to the moon. Or, at least, a chunk of it
View Date:2024-12-23 17:07:15
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Fly me to the moon. Or, at least, to Maine.
Maine’s largest airport is now home to the second largest piece of the moon on Earth, according to moon rock enthusiasts who installed the extraterrestrial chunk. The moon piece is a little bigger than a rugby ball and is on loan to the Portland International Jetport from the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum.
The moon chunk went on display at the airport on Tuesday and organizers said, jokingly, that it gives Maine travelers a chance to go somewhere no other airport can take them — the moon. The piece is housed in an exhibit alongside one of the world’s largest pieces of Mars and other samples.
“This exhibit will be full of beautiful examples of meteorite specimens from the moon, Mars and the asteroid 4 Vesta,” said Cari Corrigan, curator of meteorites at the Smithsonian Institution.
The moon chunk weighs about 94 pounds (42.7 kilograms) and is the result of an asteroid striking the moon, said Darryl Pitt, a consultant to the mineral museum and a meteorite dealer. It was found in Libya in 2021, but exactly when the piece fell to Earth is difficult to say, he said.
The piece is usually displayed at the Bethel museum in Maine’s western mountains, some 70 miles (112.65 kilometers) from Portland. The museum’s organizers said it is home to the largest known pieces of the moon and Mars, as well as the world’s largest collection of lunar meteorites.
Organizers said the display of the moon piece at the airport is especially appropriate because of the buzz about the coming total solar eclipse in April.
The National Weather Service has said the total solar eclipse will occur “for a large portion of northern Maine with a partial eclipse for the remainder of the state.”
“We love celebrating unique aspects of Maine and the MMGM is certainly among them,” said Paul Bradbury, the director of the Portland airport.
The moon chunk exhibit is slated to be on display at the airport for five years, organizers said.
veryGood! (966)
Related
- Lululemon, Disney partner for 34-piece collection and campaign: 'A dream collaboration'
- Vermont State Police investigate the shooting of a woman found dead in a vehicle in St. Johnsbury
- Kerry and Xie exit roles that defined generation of climate action
- US women’s professional volleyball void is filled, and possibly overflowing, with 3 upstart leagues
- Justice Department sues to block UnitedHealth Group’s $3.3 billion purchase of Amedisys
- US women’s professional volleyball void is filled, and possibly overflowing, with 3 upstart leagues
- Untangling the Controversy Surrounding Kyte Baby
- He killed 8 coyotes defending his sheep. Meet Casper, 'People's Choice Pup' winner.
- Horoscopes Today, November 13, 2024
- He killed 8 coyotes defending his sheep. Meet Casper, 'People's Choice Pup' winner.
Ranking
- Travis Kelce's and Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Houses Burglarized
- Accused Taylor Swift stalker arrested 3 times in 5 days outside of her NYC home
- Levi’s to slash its global workforce by up to 15% as part of a 2-year restructuring plan
- West Virginia GOP majority pushes contentious bills arming teachers, restricting bathrooms, books
- Joey Graziadei Details Why Kelsey Anderson Took a Break From Social Media
- Two men convicted of kidnapping, carjacking an FBI employee in South Dakota
- Spielberg and Hanks take to the World War II skies in 'Masters of the Air'
- Who invented butter chicken? A court is expected to decide.
Recommendation
-
Eva Longoria Shares She and Her Family Have Moved Out of the United States
-
Walgreens to pay $275,000 to settle allegations in Vermont about service during pandemic
-
Levi’s to slash its global workforce by up to 15% as part of a 2-year restructuring plan
-
Ring will no longer allow police to request users' doorbell camera footage
-
Man killed by police in Minnesota was being sought in death of his pregnant wife
-
El Gringo — alleged drug lord suspected in murders of 3 journalists — captured in Ecuador
-
Ahmaud Arbery’s killers get a March court date to argue appeals of their hate crime convictions
-
SAG-AFTRA defends Alec Baldwin as he faces a new charge in the 'Rust' fatal shooting