Author: Scanway
Publication date:
On 16 October, the exhibition “The Moon. An Unfinished Map. Copernicus, Hevelius and the Scanway Telescope in the Story of Mapping the Moon” will open at the Ossoliński National Institute in Wrocław. It brings together three eras: the Copernican revolution, Jan Hevelius’s 17th-century selenography, and contemporary optical technology being developed in Wrocław today.
The Moon may seem to be one of the best-known objects in our cosmic neighborhood. In reality, its map is still being created. In every era, we study it using different tools and ask new questions: about its surface, structure, mineral composition, future landing sites, and opportunities for further exploration.
This idea became the inspiration for the exhibition jointly prepared by Ossolineum and Scanway.
Three objects, one story
The exhibition will center around three key objects.
The first is the third edition of Nicolaus Copernicus’s “De Revolutionibus” from 1617, entitled “Astronomia instaurata,” from the private library of Jan Hevelius and bearing his handwritten signature. This early printed book thus symbolically connects two astronomers, each of whom changed the way people perceived the sky.
The second will be the first edition of Jan Hevelius’s “Selenographia sive Lunae descriptio” from 1647. The work was one of the most important attempts to systematically describe and depict the surface of the Moon in the 17th century. Hevelius observed the Moon from Earth, produced detailed engravings of its surface, and created maps using the best tools available at the time.
The third object will be a model of the SOP 120 M (Scanway Optical Payload) telescope, designed to operate in deep-space conditions and for the CHORS lunar mission.
This is where the historical narrative meets the present day.
From engravings to orbital data
The SOP 120 M telescope is designed to image and map the surface of the Moon. The instrument was designed to provide not only images, but above all data enabling the analysis of the topography and mineral composition of the lunar surface.
Multispectral imaging can support, among other things, the observation of ilmenite and other titanium-bearing rocks and materials. This information is important both from a scientific perspective and in the context of planning the next stages of lunar exploration.
The telescope is being developed for the CHORS mission, carried out in cooperation with the U.S. company Intuitive Machines. Scanway is also working with the European Space Agency on lunar data processing systems designed to enable data selection and analysis before it is transmitted to Earth.
Although technology continues to change and evolve, the question remains much the same: how can we see more and better understand what lies on the surface of the Moon?
An Unfinished Map
The title of the exhibition is no coincidence.
Copernicus changed the way people understood their place in the universe. Hevelius sought to describe and systematize what he saw on the surface of the Moon, observing it from his observatory. Today, optical instruments can observe that same lunar world from orbit, turning light reflected from its surface into data.
The exhibition therefore presents not so much three separate stories, but successive stages of a single story about exploring and understanding space.
Copernicus changed our view of the universe. Hevelius described the Moon. Today, new layers of its map are being created thanks to instruments sent into space.
Wrocław: where the history of science meets deep tech
The project brings together two worlds in Wrocław that, at first glance, may seem very distant: an institution preserving priceless scientific heritage and a company developing technologies for today’s space missions.
The joint exhibition by Ossolineum and Scanway demonstrates that groundbreaking scientific works from past eras and modern optical instruments are part of the same story. It is a centuries-long story of exploring and understanding space, continued today by scientists and engineers using next-generation optical instruments.
Practical information
The Moon. An Unfinished Map
Copernicus, Hevelius and the Scanway Telescope in the Story of Mapping the Moon
Exhibition opening: 16 October 2026
Venue: Ossoliński National Institute, Refectory, 37 Szewska Street, Wrocław
The exhibition will be open to visitors from 17 October during Ossolineum opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30–17:00