Thinktank hopes to see its gravitational pull skyrocket this summer with both the sun and moon at the centre of a programme that is truly out of this world.

Alongside an array of artworks and artefacts from the Birmingham Museums Collection, the science-themed attraction is playing host to two captivating contemporary installations: Luke Jerram’s Museum Of The Moon and Katie Paterson’s solar eclipse-inspired Totality.

Opening on Friday 21 July, just as the school holidays begin, Museum Of The Moon comes to Thinktank fresh from appearances in London, Cork and Rennes.

Using breathtakingly detailed 120dpi, 5.5GB NASA images taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, Jerram has created a spectacular three-dimensional replica model of the moon at a scale of 1:500,000.

Inspired by the tidal variations he observed looking out at the sea while cycling over the Avon Cut in Bristol, Jerram began to explore the earth’s relationship with the moon from an array of scientific and cultural perspectives. This led to the creation of Museum Of The Moon and a sister piece called Tide, both typical of his multidisciplinary approach.

Measuring an imposing seven metres in diameter, Museum Of The Moon is an immersive experience, combining striking lunar imagery with lighting effects and surround-sound music by BAFTA and Ivor Novello Award-winning composer Dan Jones.

Commenting on the installation, Lisa Stallard, Museum Manager at Thinktank, said, “Museum Of The Moon fits perfectly with the dynamic surroundings of our Science Museum. It really does have to be seen to be believed and is a beautiful spectacle that I know our visitors will enjoy. We have a jam-packed programme of events this summer, so families will have an extra-special visit with us during the holidays as there will be even more to see and do."

Having already opened to the public in late May, Katie Paterson’s Totality offers a more abstracted, imaginative response to celestial activity, playing with the idea of perception and drawing on records of solar eclipses through the ages. A total of 10,000 contemporary and historical images of the same phenomenon are fixed to the glittering tiles of an illuminated, rotating mirror ball, light bouncing back from the solar haloes around the moon in each individual picture.

Complementing Totality is Looking Up, Looking Down: The Earth, Moon, Sun And Beyond!. The display brings together a fascinating selection of objects from Birmingham’s collection that looks at the ways in which artists and scientists have explored the skies.

Totality and Looking Up, Looking Down: The Earth, Moon, Sun And Beyond! are showing until Sunday 1 October. Museum Of The Moon is at Thinktank from Friday 21 July until Sunday 20 August.

Also at Thinktank...

Prepare to have your mind blown with fascinating facts and demonstrations in the action-packed science show Fly Me To The Moon, or take a look through the Science Garden’s solar telescope to see the Sun in a whole new light.

Fancy something even more hands-on? Why not draw your own eclipse image to be projected onto the museum walls, create space art to take away, or take part in the Eclipse Challenge by using perspective to make objects disappear. Under-eights can also join the space crew engineering team to have a go at building moon buggies. 

Other features to check out over the holidays include the expanded wildlife gallery, with its brand new Nature Detectives section and a whole host of amazing animals to discover. Geared up for kids of all ages to enjoy, the recent additions include opportunities to learn more about the wildlife inhabiting urban environments, the uses of natural history museums and their collections, and how various exhibits are preserved, as well as the impact of human activity on other species.

Dinosaur fans will be amazed by the massive triceratops skull and icthyosaur skeleton, while those who like to get stuck in can try communicating like a gorilla, explore how insects see plants differently, attempt to catch a moth using echolocation and build their own foodchains, or pick up a Wildlife Explorers trail card to hunt for animals in the museum. From polar bears to peacocks and pangolin to ptarmigan, there’s plenty to see, including the skeleton of an enormous, extinct giant deer and a taxidermied fox that you can stroke!

Best of all, if you can make it during term-time, entry is reduced to just £3 after 3pm on weekdays. 

By Heather Kincaid