Lithuania EUROPA FDC

Lithuania FDC
Name: EUROPA 2009 - Astronomy
Date of Issue: 25 April 2009

Denominations:
2.45Lt: Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642)
2.45Lt: The Astrophysical Investigations Were Initiated in Vilnius university Observatory in the Middle of the 19th C.

To commemorate 400 years of exploring the universe using astronomical telescopes, 2009 has been designated the International Year of Astronomy. Italian scientist Galileo Galilei was the first astronomer who turned the telescope to the sky in 1609. His astronomical observations and discoveries unleashed a scientific revolution that has virtually changed our perception of the universe and our place in it. 400 years later, astronomers explore celestial bodies with modern telescopes on Earth and in space in almost all wavelengths 24 hours per day.

Beginning of astrophysics, a branch of astronomy dealing with physical processes operating in stars and other celestial bodies is related to the development of photometric and spectroscopic techniques in the middle of the 19th century. Astronomers of Vilnius University Observatory were among the firsts who initiated astrophysical investigations at that time. Their research concentrated on the sun because of its brightness and its obvious importance to our lives. One of their main instruments used for systematic solar photography was G. M. Dallmeyer's photoheliograph.

EUROPA Series FDCs:
2009 Astronomy:
Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovakia.

2008 Letter:
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Vatican.