Philatelic Snippets

Visiting the Anglo-Australian Observatory

Siding Springs, New South Wales

In April 2000, my wife and I visited the Observatory overlooking the Warrumbungle National Park, Northwest New South Wales, explains our Features Editor John Berry. My son drove us to Coonabarabran, a small town nearest the site and at a crossroads a sign indicated that the Observatory was twenty minutes drive westward.

The road to the Observatory was tree-lined with green melds and prominent along the route were numerous "plugs" where the cores of volcanoes had solidified many millions of years ago and it was no surprise to find that the Observatory was sited on such a useful physical feature.

A road sign indicated a track to the right and it was a steep drive to reach the site, but strangely, although eight telescopes were on site we only found one! Fortunately this was the main telescope with a four metre aperture mirror.

A shop is close to car park (of which our Honda Patrol had the monopoly) and it is well-stocked with postcards and other space related items and coffee and cakes are served.

A wooden-stepped approach takes the visitor to the base of the four-storey high telescope where a lift is available to the top of the building. Obviously the telescope is not used during the day and Diane and I were merely able to view the complex mechanism of the telescope through a wide observation window. Staff were not available to explain the use of tile telescope although numerous photographs of galaxies were framed on the wall at this level.

We returned to the car park and thence down the winding track to the road. At this time were were the only visitors. 

I felt there was a complete lack of personal contact at this observatory, the only person present being an affable young woman who served in the shop but she had absolutely no knowledge of the telescopes. I am sure that a knowledgeable duty assistant would have been advantageous to answer the many questions we formed but with an apparent lack of visitors it probably would not have been a financial proposition - except of course for an enthusiast.

Sad that such an important site should have no indicators relating to the sites of The other SEVEN telescopes. I mean where were they?

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Anaheim Eclipse

Linn’s Stamp News reports that the U.S. $11.75 Earth hologram stamp has been found in a near-eclipse format. Only one of this remarkable error has been reported, advises John Berry.

Another reported error in the U.S. Space Achievement issue concerns the "Exploring the Solar System" sheet featuring five pentagonal stamps, where one (only) fully imperforate sheet has been found.

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ASSS Success at 'To the Stars 2001'

Moscow: April 11th - 15th.

The all Russia philatelic exhibition devoted to the 40th anniversary of Gagarin’s flight was held at the historical down town cultural centre Red Palace of the 17th Century, near the famous rebuilt Cathedral of Jesus Christ the Saviour reports Mikhail Vorobyov.

52 exhibits were located in three small halls allowing easy viewing access and three cosmonauts — Victor Gorbatko, Victor Savinkh and Anatoly Solovyov were in attendance during the exhibition, with Savinkh (twice hero of the Soviet Union and veteran of three space flights) speaking at the opening ceremony.

Collectors examined and discussed the exhibits, and disputed many aspects of astrophilately throughout the week of the event On April 14th a seminar on astrophilately was held to inform collectors about new FIP regulations for thematic exhibitions and the next day at the closing ceremony awards were made.

These included a Large Silver for Yuri Kvasnikov’s 'Missions of the international crews to Salyut 6', a Silver to prospective member Oleg Zaburdaev (whose catalogue "Cosmonautics on Soviet Postcards 1958-1991" was advertised in Orbit for March) "Sources of Russian Cosmonautics". Mikhail’s Vorobyov’s own exhibit "For All Mankind" exhibit, for which Birmingham member Bob Taylor had leant some material won Bronze.

Congratulations to all concerned.

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German Cosmos Stamps

On 14th October 99 the German Post Office put on sale a series of five thematic stamps celebrating the Cosmos. The design consultant is the Director of the Observatory and planetarium at Bochum. Designs included a comet crashing into Jupiter, a survey of Mars, an exploding star in Roentgen light, radio waves in a group of stars which to eye appear to form the shape of a swan.

The issued also included the first German hologrammatic design, a successor to the 3D stamp

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John Glen breaks the Law

Unpleasantness ensued when the U.S.P.S. in Houston censored a special postmark brought out by the flight control centre. Included in the postmark was the text "Senator John Glenn Jr" As the wording referred to a still living person it was deemed an infringement of postal law.

In the US only the name or portrait of deceased persons can legally be used on postage stamps and postmarks. Some of you have no doubt seized the opportunity to get a copy of the original 4th November postmark.

 

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