Moon installation honours female astronomy pioneer

A new exhibition has opened in Staffordshire to celebrate the life of a pioneering female astronomer.

Mary Blagg was one of the first four women to be admitted to the Royal Astronomical Society, in 1916.

She was born in Cheadle, Staffordshire, and was buried in the churchyard of St Giles The Abbott Church, where the exhibition is being held.

The event has been organised by arts organisation Outside, which is responsible for a number of creative projects taking place in the Staffordshire Moorlands over the course of the next two years.

A giant sculpture of the Moon, which is a focal point of the event, has been designed by artist Luke Jerram.

The sculpture, which is 7m (22ft) in diameter, is an exact scale replica of the Moon’s surface using NASA imagery.

Outside's creative director Sarah Bird said they wanted to do something spectacular, which would stop people in their tracks.

“About a year ago, we sent out a survey for people to tell us about the story they would love to tell about their place,” she said.

“Members of the Cheadle Discovery group contacted us to say they wanted to tell the story of Mary Blagg, a pioneering astronomer who died around 80 years ago.

“They wanted everyone to know Mary’s name and what this extraordinary woman from their place had done and that she’d defied the conventions of her time.”

Mary Blagg had a crater on the lunar surface named in her honour, and in 2018 a plaque was unveiled in her hometown to mark her legacy.

Among a myriad of scientific projects, she undertook a project to create a detailed map of the Moon, which was so accurate that it wasn’t surpassed until the 1960s.

Ms Bird said: “It’s been a joy over the last year learning about the history and the astronomy and getting to know the community here and finding out what they want to celebrate.

“The really brilliant bit is meeting so many different groups who are already so artistic and creative, and we’re allowed that luxury of being able to amplify how brilliant the community is."

The installation will be on display until 5 April.

Tickets are available free of charge on the Outside website, and there is a programme of events running throughout – including film screenings, craft activities, history talks and theatre performances, yoga, and poetry.

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