The Astronomical Society of Malta has backed calls by a retired NASA inspector to offer an amnesty to whoever returns Malta's stolen moon rock.

The small rock was stolen from the Natural History Museum in Mdina in May 2004.

Speaking to The Times earlier in the week, Joseph Gutheinz, who was instrumental in retrieving a stolen moon rock in Honduras in 1998, said that an amnesty might bring the rock back to its rightful place.

The Astronomical Society said that selling such items was a high-risk affair and echoed Dr Gutheinz's opinion that it was unlikely that the stolen moon rock would be sold.

"Claims to the financial value of the rock make no sense in as much as the intrinsic value of the rock itself signifies the skilful endeavours of humanity in visiting another heavenly body, 385,000 kilometres away," the society said. Many have put the price of the nail-sized rock at around $5 million.

Meanwhile, the society is in the meantime inviting all those that would like to view the moon from a telescope to an observing session which will be held at Dwejra, Gozo, on July 22, from 9.30 p.m. onwards.

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