Austria 20 euro Silver coin 2024 " SUPERNOVA" Proof

Austria 20 Euro Silver 2024 "SUPERNOVA" Proof

• First coin in "The Beauty of the Universe" series

• Unique shape depicts the explosion of a supernova

• Made of silver

• Highest possible cutting quality (Proof)

• Comes in a case with certificate of authenticity

• Strictly limited cut

Description

Extremely attractive, the Supernova is the first of five exquisitely shaped and colored silver coins in The Beauty of the Universe series. The perfect gift for all planetary hobbyists, the coin shows that the universe is not only full of dynamic and exciting events but also infinitely diverse and beautiful

Supernova captures a phenomenon that was first recorded just over a thousand years ago. The year was 1054, and the Chinese and Arab astronomers who observed the phenomenon noticed a brightness increasing with remarkable rapidity. This was the result of what we now know to be caused by the massive explosion of a star about ten times the mass of the sun itself – an event we now know to be a supernova.

After millions of years, the star in question had run out of hydrogen nuclear "fuel" and, stabilized throughout its life by the pressure created by the nuclear fusion taking place within it, had collapsed under the influence of its own gravity. This happened first in the outer layers before bouncing back explosively. Since then, the stellar remnant and wind pulsar, known as the Crab Nebula, has been moving away from the former explosion center at several million kilometers per hour.

Coin pattern

With a wavy edge and curved reverse, Supernova also has a concave obverse that depicts the Crab Nebula, the remnant of the supernova observed in 1054, which is about 6,500 light-years from Earth and about 11x7 light-years in size. "NGC 1952" refers to the catalog name of the Crab Nebula. In the center of the coin, there is also reference to the rapidly rotating Crab Pulsar, a source of cosmic radiation. The reverse of the coin features a color illustration of the Crab Nebula, based on an image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.