International Year of Astronomy & Roses….

Date of Issue – 2 March 2009

Hi ! I am back after short break…..Here is something very nice in Today’s Post…The year 2009 is being celebrated as the International Year of Astronomy. Many beautiful stamps are being issued on the subject of Space and Astronomy. I have received a nice article from our distinguished member Dr Satyendra Kumar Agrawal on “Mysteries of the Universe related to Rose”. I am also giving here some stamps with colorful pictures depicted on stamps issued for this Astronomical year. Dr Agarwal is a renowned philatelist and has specialized in the theme of Roses. He has won many prestigious awards in National and International Philatelic Exhibitions for his collection of Roses. Now he is working on a book “ Handbook of Rose Philately”. In fact the name of Dr Agarwal is synonymous with Roses.His research and work on Rose Philately has given a new meaning to the beauty of Roses. Hope this article will be very interesting for the all the Readers and those who love Roses. This is all for today….Till Next Post…Have a Nice Time !….

Bulgaria - 28 April 2009

Estonia – 5 May 2009

Ireland - 15 May 2009

French Andorra – 4 May 2009

Rose in Space

-Dr.Satyendra Kumar Agrawal

rosephila@hotmail.com

Working on a chapter “UNUSUAL ROSES” for my Handbook of Rose Philately, I came across many Mysteries of the Universe related to Rose. The sight of these magnificent pictures is able to make anybody speechless every time looking at them. Man has a lot more to do to understand the mysteries of the Universe. The power that it possesses is way beyond man can ever imagined. A lifetime is not enough to consume every details of the universe from the very point of view of man. Year 2009 is marked as “Year of Astronomy” and many new issues on this subject are appearing in the market regularly. One may come across these pictures featured on Stamps or on Postal Stationeries. May be few references are already existing. I would be thankful if my fellow philatelist remembers me to get informed.

1. Red Rose Nebula or the Cat's Eye Nebula

This picture of the "Cat's Eye Nebula," taken on September 18, 1994, by the NASA Hubble Space Telescope is officially referred to as NGC 6543. Estimated to be 1,000 years old, the nebula is a visual "fossil record" of the dynamics and late evolution of a dying star. NGC 6543 is an exploding star 3,000 light-years away in the northern constellation Draco.

2. Beautiful Universal Love Flower: Rose Nebula

At present, a Guangdong astronomy lover He Jianguo took photo for the rose nebula with the astronomic telescope and digital camera in a quiet village of Gaoming Area, Foshan City. This nebula which was called the universal love flower looked like a blooming rose. It’s very magnificent. The rose nebula was hard to detect with the naked eye but could be seen using the long exposure of camera.

3. Spitzer Telescope Sends Rose for Valentine's Day

Out of the dark and dusty cosmos comes an unusual valentine -- a stellar nursery resembling a shimmering pink rosebud. This cluster of newborn stars, located 3,330 light-years away in the constellation Cepheus and spanning 10 light-years across, called a reflection nebula, was captured by state-of-the-art infrared detectors onboard NASA's new Spitzer Space Telescope, formerly known as the Space Infrared Telescope Facility. The rose tint comes from heated dust, the green from carbon monoxide.

4. Natural Rose

NGC 2244 - a star cluster embroiled in a reflection nebula spanning 55 light-years and most commonly called “The Rosette.” Located about 2500 light-years away, the galactic star cluster NGC 2244 heats the gas within the nebula to nearly 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit, causing it to emit light in a process similar to that of a fluorescent tube

5. Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237-2239, 2246)

A large emission nebula in the constellation Monoceros surrounding a cluster of about six hot, young O stars known as the Rosette Cluster (NGC 2244) whose radiation energizes the nebula and whose stellar winds have swept out a hollow at the center of the Rosette. The brightest parts of the nebula have their own NGC catalogue numbers.

6. A rose blooming in space

Resembling a delicate rose floating in space, the nebula N11A is seen in a new light in a true-colour image taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. Fierce radiation from massive stars embedded at the centre of N11A illuminates the surrounding gas with a soft fluorescent glow.

7. Pink rose

The Rosette nebula is usually observed as a pink rose, coloured by the dominant reddish light which indicates that hydrogen atoms have been heated. We look down into the open rose and can see the hot stars responsible for the heating. This image taken at the Kitt Peak National Observatory of the Medusa nebula, known scientifically as Abell 21, is an old planetary nebula some 1,500 light-years away in the constellation Gemini. It is estimated to be over 4 light-years across. This image was taken on Oct 24th, 2008 at the Mayall telescope with the mosaic camera.