Victoria Memorial: A miniature moon descended on Victoria Memorial on Saturday evening.

Museum of the Moon, an art installation of earth's only satellite by UK artist Luke Jerram, was on display on the front lawn near the north gate of Victoria Memorial.

Measuring seven metres in diameter, the mini moon features detailed Nasa imagery of the lunar surface.

At an approximate scale of 1:500,000, each centimetre of the internally lit spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon's surface. The project uses imagery of Nasa's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera.

Jerram's artwork, highlighting ongoing lunar exploration and research, comes with a surround sound composition created by award-winning composer Dan Jones.

On Saturday evening, the front lawn of Victoria Memorial was teeming with visitors.

Hundreds of people had to watch the spectacle from outside because CISF guards were forced to close the gates. Up in the Saturday sky, the actual moon was barely visible after Thursday's new moon.

"There was a time when the sun never set on the Victorian empire. But in this post-imperialist age, the moon is descending over the statue of the queen," Jayanta Sengupta, secretary and curator of Victoria Memorial, said.

Alan Gemmell, director of the British Council in India, Craig Hall, the US consul general in Calcutta, and Debiprosad Duari, the director of Birla Planetarium, attended the programme.

The council has brought Museum of the Moon to India to mark the last phase of the UK-India Year of Culture and 70 years of the British Council in India.

The touring artwork travelled to Bangalore, Mumbai and Udaipur before reaching Calcutta.

"In those 70 years, we have been inspired by India every day," Gemmell said. He termed the spectacle "the best lunar landing we could make together".

Duari spoke of the moon being our "first point of interest in the cosmos", leading to numerous mythologies surrounding it. "You and I exist because of the moon," he told the audience, describing how the moon is responsible for the change of seasons.

The artwork will be displayed on Sunday evening as well, Sengupta said. The lawns will be open till 9pm on Sunday like it was on Saturday. The garden usually closes at 5.45pm.