The State of Nevada’s official moon rocks, brought back to earth by astronauts in the Apollo moon-landing missions, will be on display at the University of Nevada, Reno’s W. M. Keck Museum. The public is invited to the unveiling of the new exhibit from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 13.
The Keck Museum is in the historic Mackay School of Mines Building at the north end of the Quad. Its new extraterrestrial rock exhibit will include meteorites found in Nevada and tektites, gravel-sized natural glass formed by the impact of large meteorites on Earth’s surface.
“We’re excited to get this exhibit for the public to enjoy,” Garrett Barmore, administrator of the museum, said. “These great specimens, plus a small American flag that was on the moon with them, are a wonderful addition to the Keck Museum. It’s great to be working so closely with the Nevada State Museum in Carson City, which is loaning us the moon rocks for the public display.”
The unveiling will be held in a small public ceremony during the open house. The display is in partnership with the University’s Planetarium, which will be having its own meteorite collection on display at their facility explaining how scientists use the rocks to determine the age of the universe.
The Keck Museum houses an outstanding collection of minerals, ores, fossil specimens and photographs, in addition to mining related relics. The original mining museum opened in 1908. The museum is also home to some of the spectacular Mackay Silver Collection, created by Tiffany & Co., for John Mackay and completed in 1878.
For more information about the museum visit http://www.mines.unr.edu/
