Bathonians and other West locals will get the chance to see what planet Earth “looks like from the moon” starting this week.

The illuminated planet Earth artwork called Gaia, named after the Greek Goddess of Earth, is by local artist Luke Jerram, and will be visiting the city for six weeks as part of a programme of events at Bath Abbey, with visitors encouraged to reflect on how humans treat the planet.

The seven-metre diameter (23ft) globe features detailed Nasa imagery of the Earth's surface and will be suspended beneath the tower in the centre of the Abbey.

By standing 181m away, residents can see the Earth as it appears from the moon.

The detailed sculpture, which also revolves and has a specially-made sound composition by a BAFTA award-winning composer played alongside it, has toured the world, including via visits to Hong Kong, London and Taiwan.

A series of events at the Abbey focused on appreciating and caring for the world will run alongside the installation, including a concert with Bristol Ensemble playing music from Blue Planet, and stargazing events. Visit here for more information.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris, who is running the West of England Explore Local campaign, and who will check out the piece (tomorrow Tuesday, 19th September at 4.45pm, Bath Abbey, Bath BA1 1LT), said: “This is a super-important and inspiring artwork - Gaia encourages us all to gaze at the planet we call home, but also to reflect on what we all need to do to care for it as well during this climate crisis.

“It just goes to show how many amazing things to do we have right here on our doorstep. So whether it's eyes to the skies at Herschel Museum, celebrating Bath's most famous resident at Jane Austen Museum, or taking the opportunity to see our planet floating in space at Bath Abbey, let’s get out there and rediscover all Bath, and our amazing region, has to offer”.

Mr Jerram's work will be at Bath Abbey until Sunday, 29th October.