John Russell's 'Selenographia'
The name 'Selenographia' refers to the complete assembly of a lunar globe engraved by John Russell, RA, together with a mechanical stand designed by the artist himself. The graduated scales and the variety of rack and pinion adjustments on the brass stand permit a demonstration of the various elements of the moon's oscillatory 'libration', while the small earth globe can be used to demonstrate parallax. In order to do this, the earth globe has to be very small because its distance from the moon is so greatly contracted.
A large pastel drawing of the moon by John Russell can be seen on the Museum staircase.
Other narratives:
- John Russell: moon material elsewhere
- Inventory no. 52085 - Former Display Label
- Article in Museum Publication : Sphaera No. 2 (Autumn 1995) 'Sphere No. 2 : John Russell's Selenographia'
- Accession Record : Extract from Annual Reports for 1933-35
- John Russell on Selenographia, and its earth globe
- Exhibition Label: 'Moonstruck' (14/10/2014 - 1/2/2015) - temporary display about the moon