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A new set of cosmic stamps is launched to “celebrate Britain’s contribution to our understanding of the universe”.
The Visions Of The Universe collection contains eight stamps with images of astronomical phenomena that capture the “drama of the universe”.
The stamps are issued by the Royal Mail on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Royal Astronomical Society.
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The collection includes the famous cat’s-eye nebula, a bright planetary nebula in the constellation Draco, which was first discovered in 1786 by the British astronomer William Herschel.
The collection, designed by London-based artist Robert Ball, also includes Jupiter’s Aurora, the glowing bluish gas wrapped around the planet’s north pole, and Comet 67P, which belongs to the Jupiter family. The Cat’s Eye Nebula was first discovered by British astronomer William Herschel in 1786 (Robert Ball / Royal Mail)
Other celestial objects in this issue include Saturn’s moon Enceladus, with water vapor clouds emerging from the surface, and Cygnus A, a galaxy that is approximately 600 million light-years from Earth and is a powerful cosmic source of radio waves.
Philip Diamond, Executive Director of the Royal Astronomical Society, said: “This eye-catching and attractive stamp set reflects the drama of the universe that surrounds us.
“I am pleased that our bicentennial is marked by a real collector’s item that combines tradition with contemporary science.”
Other astronomical phenomena in the collection include black holes, pulsars and gravitational lenses, which are caused by massive celestial bodies that distort or bend the light. The stamps are part of the “Visions of the Universe” collection of the Royal Mail (Robert Ball / Royal Mail).
The Royal Astronomical Society’s idea was first born in 1820 during a dinner at the Freemasons’ Tavern in London.
It now has more than 4,000 astronomers, known as fellows, and is intended to promote the study of astronomy, geophysics and other closely related branches of science.
Philip Parker, a Royal Mail spokesman, said: “These vibrant and beautiful new stamps celebrate Britain’s contribution to our understanding of the universe, from geysers erupting from one of Saturn’s moons to the extraordinary nature of black holes.”
The full set is available in a presentation package at £ 9.75 and can be pre-ordered from the Royal Mail website.
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