A day to discover the moon at the Grand Palais

Just 50 years ago, on July 20, 1969, the whole world was mesmerized by the images of man's first steps on the moon. The celebration of the Apollo 11 moon landing is an opportunity to rediscover Earth’s natural satellite. Paris features several exhibitions, some of them permanent, dedicated to the Moon and more widely to space.

This Summer the Grand Palais is playing host to an exhaustive exhibition about the Moon that questions the relationship that men have had with this familiar and yet mysterious celestial body. Articulated in 5 parts, this exhibition enables the visitor to go back in time to retrace the evolution of our view of the Moon and our desire to explore it: from the craziest journeys imagined by literature to the Apollo expedition 11, from the almost divine power that was attributed to the star to the scientific observation genuinely initiated by Galileo, then Cassini... Over the centuries, dreams, fantasies and objective truth have inspired the most fascinating objects and artistic works: therefore, the initial lunar maps (Harriot in 1603, then Galileo) interact with the contemporary inventions of the artists Ange Leccia or François Morellet, and the personifications of the Moon, very often a female goddess, come in many forms: Hecate, Selene, Diane or Tanit that have been celebrated in poetry, sculpture and all the arts... The moon appears to represent an experience of beauty for everyone.

At the City of Science and Industry, the artist Caroline Corbasson was given a free hand to create the installation "Lunarama" in an educational exhibition Moon: 50 years... and after?

For a voyage to the edge of the universe, the Palais de la Découverte offers, for its part, an authentic planetarium, deploying a 15-meter diameter dome. The exciting planetarium show proves to be a remarkable introduction to astronomy.

You can also explore space by going to the Air and Space Museum at Le Bourget Airport, very close to Paris. The hall dedicated to the conquest of space in particular is an experience not to be missed, and why not stop at the restaurant, l’Hélice (the propeller), with a futuristic atmosphere.

Between real journey and imaginary ones, a summer under the gaze of the stars !