New Royal Canadian Mint collectable coin is out of this world
Each of the 5,500 coins minted contain real meteorite fragments
The Royal Canadian Mint's latest collectible coin is pretty far out.
Vancouver-based artist and research scientist Alexandra Lefort designed the coin after a life time of interstellar fascination — a fascination that led her to design the collectible with a chunk of meteorite iron embedded in each of the 5,500 coins minted.
"It was really exciting, when I was contacted to do the design," said Lefort. "I've been into astronomy since I was a kid and I've always been fascinated by meteorites."
The meteorite fragments come from the Campo del Cielo meteorite field in Argentina.
The creation of the full-colour silver coin marks the 150th anniversary of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC).
"150 years of research, education and discovery by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada is an engaging story to share with Canadians," said Royal Canadian Mint president Sandra Hanington in a statement.
"It is only fitting that RASC's many scientific achievements be recognized on a vividly coloured coin, which breaks barriers of its own by featuring a shard of a real meteorite."
The $20 coin's graphic depicts a flaming meteorite, augmented by the actual fragment of space metal.
The Eagle Nebula, swirling among the Pillars of Creation — long trails of gas and dust — is next to the meteor, nestled between an image of the Andromeda Galaxy, the galaxy nearest to our own.
At the top of the graphic is the solar eclipse Vancouver residents were able to see in August 2017. Below, an image of the Manicouagan crater in Québec — a reservoir believed to have been created 214 million years ago by the impact of an asteroid.
Lefort said choosing which images to use was difficult, because there's so many options.
"I wanted the meteor to symbolize an ambassador from space to earth," said Lefort.
Lefort also designed another commemorative coin for the mint in 2016 to honour Canada's first woman astronaut, Roberta Bondar.
That coin combined vivid colour with a glow-in-the-dark effect to depict a view of Canada from space.