500th Birth Anniversary of Nicholas Copernicus 18.11.1973

Poland celebrated the 500th anniversary of the birth of Nicholas Copernicus, the astronomer, with this painting.

Copernicus (1473-1543) was a born in the Kingdom of Poland. His theory that the sun - not the Earth - was the central position in the solar system replaced a theory that had been accepted for several hundred years.

15th congress for astronauts in Warsaw 2.9.1964

The stamp on this FDC depicts the famous statue of The Mermaid of Warsaw and a star. Enchanting, wicked and often very funny, Poland's folk tales are one of the great treasures of Central Europe. Crowned by the story of The Mermaid of Warsaw. A beautiful statue located in the center of the main square in warsaw. A symbol of this great city.

Twenty-five astronauts and cosmonauts from eleven countries gathered in Bucharest, Romania, October 4-9 for the 15th Annual Planetary Congress of the Association of Space Explorers. Hosted by Romanian cosmonaut Dumitru Prunariu, the theme of the 15th Congress was “Space and Astronomy–Toward the New Millennium”.

Solar Eclipse over Australia 23.10.1978

The special postmark  by Australian post was used to mark the Solar Eclipse in Australia on 23rd October 1978 when the zone of totality passed over SE Australia. Many scientific experiments were conducted during this period.

Thank you Maria.

150th anniversary of Helsinki University Observatory 12.9.1984

Helsinki University Observatory housed the Department of Astronomy at the University of Helsinki, south Finland until the end of 2009.

The Helsinki astronomical observatory was designed in cooperation by professor Friedrich Wilhelm Argelander and architect Carl Ludvig Engel. The building was finished in 1834. The instruments and astronomical books that had escaped the great fire in Turku were transferred to Helsinki. The observatory was among the most modern astronomical observatories of its time, and served as an example for several European observatories that were built afterwards.

A separate tower was built in the observatory garden for the telescope designed for astrophotography. This building was finished in 1890. Pia gave me this lovely FDC issued on 12.9.1984. The stamp was issued to commemorate the 150^th anniversary of Helsinki University Observatory.

Norway - Europa 2009 ~ Astronomy issue

Astronomy issue in miniature sheet form (with a combined value of 22.00 NOK) carries both stamps and also features a large image of a solar eclipse in the background. The limb on the right side of the sheet depicts the "Bailey's Beads" effect and some flares erupting from the Sun's surface. Across the bottom of the sheet is a diagram of the planets in our solar system with a table of information regarding each, such as - their maximum and minimum distances from the Sun and the number of years it takes the planets to circle the Sun. The sheet also displays the full image of the bodies featured on the stamps. The silver ink of the text and brilliant colors of the images make for a very handsome design against the predominantly black sheet. One should make special note of the fact that actual "meteorite dust" has been sprinkled next to the country name on both stamps. This wonderful MS was sent to me by my friend Sissel.

Astronomy

This expressive miniature sheet of stamps commemorating Astronomy was issued by France, and given to me by my friend Michelle.