Unfathomably vast

Humans have observed the night sky for millennia. Beyond the Moon, we identified planets and comets in our Solar System, as well as more distant stars and constellations. The invention of the telescope in the early 17th century advanced our understanding of Earth's place within the vast cosmos. With the latest space telescopes, we have been able to see much further and more clearly than ever before, discovering huge numbers of galaxies and other fascinating cosmic objects, including nebulae, giant clouds of dust and gas, in which new stars are born.

Astronomical art

The coin’s coloured reverse design represents the universe with an artistic arrangement of astronomical bodies including Earth, ringed planets, comets, meteors, stars, a galaxy, and nebulae.