In order to celebrate the 2009 Year of Astronomy the Austrian Mint is set to release a bi-metallic 25 Euro Silver-niobium coin on 11 March 2009.

The 34 mm coin depicts the dark side of the moon being orbited by a satellite with the sun and earth on either sides, on its reverse. The obverse in turn shows a portrait of the great mathematician, physicist and astronomer Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) and his telescope set over Galelei’s first drawings of the surface of the moon. This is surrounded by Newton’s telescope, the observatory in Kremsmünster, a modern telescope, a radio telescope and an orbiting telescope.

This beautifully designed coin is limited to a mintage of 65 000 in a high quality uncirculated condition.