*** This event has been cancelled. We apologise for any inconvenience caused ***
*** As this is our first evening Friends lecture in a while, Friends of the RAS are invited to bring one non-member to the event. Booking required ***
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The Moon has fascinated humankind since we first gazed into the sky. In this talk astronomer Robert Massey and art historian Alexandra Loske will present its rich and curious history, described in their new book Moon: Art, Science, Culture. From its violent birth through to the thrilling story of the Space Race and current exploration efforts, discover the many faces of the Moon and how they have shaped humanity’s existence.
Dr Alexandra Loske is a writer, curator and art historian specialising in late 18th and early 19th century European art and architecture. She was born and grew up in Germany and moved to England in 1997. She has been working, studying and teaching at the University of Sussex since 1999, where completed her PhD in Art History in 2014. Alexandra has lectured and published widely on colour, colour theory and art. Since 2015 Alexandra has been the curator of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. Her fascination with the Moon was sparked by the ubiquitous presence of the Moon in Romantic painting and literature. In 2017 she approached astronomer Dr Robert Massey with the idea of writing a book about the Moon in art and science, resulting in the publication of Moon: Art, Science, Culture, in time to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
Dr Robert Massey is Deputy Executive Director of the Royal Astronomical Society, where he oversees Society external affairs including public engagement, media relations, and policy development. Before joining the RAS, his career took him from PhD research in Manchester to teaching in Brighton, and local politics in London alongside a stint as Public Astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. In his spare time he teaches his nine year old daughter about science, enjoys cycling, cooking and when babysitting allows enjoys the cultural life of his home city of Bristol. A regular broadcaster and writer, he never tires of looking at the Moon through a telescope and wondering when people will return there.
Image credit: Book cover