Travelers through Maine’s biggest airport can now fly to the moon. Or at least a chunk of it

PORTLAND, Maine — Fly me to the moon. Or at least to Maine.

Maine’s largest airport is now home to the second largest chunk of the moon on Earth, according to moon rock enthusiasts who installed the alien chunk. The moon piece is slightly larger than a rugby ball and is being loaned by Maine Mineral to the Portland International Jetport & Gem Museum.

The moon piece was put on display at the airport Tuesday, and organizers jokingly said it gives travelers from Maine a chance to go somewhere no other airport can take them: the moon. The piece is housed in an exhibit next to one of the world’s largest pieces of Mars and other monsters.

“This exhibit will be full of beautiful examples of meteorite specimens from the moon, Mars and the asteroid 4 Vesta,” said Cari Corrigan, curator of meteorites at the Smithsonian Institution.

The moon piece weighs about 94 pounds (42.7 kilograms) and is the result of an asteroid hitting the moon, said Darryl Pitt, a mineral museum consultant and meteorite dealer. It was found in Libya in 2021, but exactly when the piece fell to Earth is difficult to say, he said.

The piece is usually displayed at the Bethel Museum in the western mountains of Maine, about 70 miles (112.65 kilometers) from Portland. The museum’s organizers said it is home to the largest known pieces of the moon and Mars, as well as the world’s largest collection of lunar meteorites.

Organizers said the display of the moon piece at the airport is especially appropriate given the rumors of the upcoming total solar eclipse in April.

The National Weather Service has said the total solar eclipse will occur “for much of northern Maine, with a partial solar eclipse for the rest of the state.”

“We love celebrating unique aspects of Maine and the MMGM is certainly one of those,” said Portland Airport Director Paul Bradbury.

The Moon Chunk exhibit is expected to be on display at the airport for five years, organizers said.