Planet Earth: Our Place In Space (Until 11 April 2010)

This temporary exhibition is based on the geological collections from the National Museum of Ireland – Natural History. 20 July 2009 was the 40th anniversary of the first people to set foot on the Moon, another rocky body orbiting our planet. On a later mission in 1972 a ‘Goodwill Rock’ was collected and distributed to every nation on Earth. The exhibition features the Irish Goodwill Rock, complete with an Irish tricolour flag that was brought to the Moon. Other souvenirs of Apollo Missions in the exhibition are signed photographs, insignia and a model Saturn V rocket.

The main exhibits are meteorites – rocks from space that are debris from the early solar system, including fragments of Mars and the Moon. A highlight is the Limerick meteorite that fell near Adare, County Limerick in 1813, Ireland’s largest ever meteorite weighing in at 27 kilos. These specimens are used to explain what meteorites can tell us about the early solar system and also what we know about the earth as a planet. Minerals and rocks will further illustrate what the earth is made of and its internal structure.

A large meteorite from Campo del Cielo (the ‘field of heaven’) in Argentina is on open display and visitors can touch a piece of space that is 4,500 million years old.

Visitors are invited to celebrate International Year of Astronomy 2009 with a visit to some of these earthly and cosmic treasures.

A number of education activities will also take place to complement the exhibition. Admission to the exhibition is free. It is based in the Riding School behind the dinosaur, at the National Museum of Ireland - Decorative Arts & History in Collins Barracks, Dublin. Opening times: Tues-Sat: 10am – 5pm; Sun: 2-5pm. Closed Mondays (incl. Bank Holidays).

This exhibition will close at 5pm on Sunday 11 April 2010