Exploring astronomy through philately – a brief introduction

Please note: the speaker will be projected live onto a large screen at 16 Queen Square or you can watch online from elsewhere.

The first astronomy themed stamp dates to 1887 when Brazil issued a perforated stamp, buff and blue in colour, depicting the Southern Cross. Even throughout the 1800s, stamps were being printed with astronomical watermarks, such as suns.

Over the decades, we have celebrated astronomy and space on stamps including comets, astronomers, man on the moon and astronomical events such as solar eclipses. This talk will take you on an “out of this world” journey, looking at and discussing a selection of astronomy and space themed stamps that have been issued all over the world, proving that we can enjoy the wonders of the Universe even on a cloudy night.

Katrin Raynor-Evans is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and Royal Geographical Society and also a member of the Cardiff Astronomical Society and Astro Space Stamp Society. The speaker will be projected live onto a large screen at 16 Queen Square.

Images courtesy of the speaker