A New Moon Rises

Open now through May 9, 2021.

The moon is not the same place as when astronauts last stepped foot on it. A New Moon Rises, a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian, features stunning large-scale photographs of the lunar surface captured by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Cameras (LROC) between 2009 and 2015. The highly detailed photographs reveal a celestial neighbor that is surprisingly dynamic and full of grandeur and wonder.

A New Moon Rises features 51 large-scale and highly detailed photographs of the moon taken by the LROC between 2009 and 2015. These images reveal a dynamic place with impact craters, recent volcanic activity and a crust fractured by the shrinking of a still-cooling interior. The images provide unique views of the lunar surface that not only help answer questions about the moon's formation and evolution but reveal stunning landforms both alien and familiar.

A New Moon Rises was created by the National Air and Space Museum and the Arizona State University, and is organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.