Description
This 2016 $20 fine silver coin introduces new technology and design elements to Canadian collector coins to create a modern image of star gazing from Canada’s Burke-Gaffney Observatory. Mintage of this coin is limited to just 8,500. The coin is double struck in just over one ounce of pure silver, with colour and a borosilicate glass inlay. As a pure silver coin struck by the Royal Canadian Mint, this item is GST/HST exempt.
The Design:
The coin recreates the dome of the observatory located at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It features the coloured glow of a clear, star filled night sky, while a unique glass insert captures the otherworldly beauty of a supernova. The globule of borosilicate glass contains an opal that represents the dying star, which is positioned over a darkly coloured background and surrounded by swirled glass and glow-in-the-dark colours. There is a luminous quality to the glow in the dark insert that conveys this stellar explosion of light and energy.
Burke-Gaffney Observatory:
Canadian amateur astronomers using the Burke-Gaffney Observatory made a remarkable discovery in 1995 when they identified a supernova in a galaxy about 70 million light years away—the first such discovery made from within Canada. Such a powerful and colourful explosion is a rare celestial event, as the dying star expires in a burst of bright light and expelled energy; it is a truly breathtaking sight to behold, one of great ethereal beauty in a universe that still holds so many secrets!
