On July 5, 2022 the Ministry of Communications and Informatization of the Republic of Belarus will issue 4 stamps on the theme “Starry sky through the eyes of Belarusians" of the series “Astronomy“.
Design: Yauheniya Biadonik. Print process: offset. Colour: multicoloured. Paper: chalk-surfaced, gummed. Perforations: comb 123/4. Stamp size: 37,2х37,2 mm. Sheets composition: 4 (2х2) stamps. Sheets size: 114х112 mm. Face value of each stamp: N. The technology of thermal stamping by metalized foil of golden colour was used on the stamps. Print quantity: 40.000 stamps each.
Printer: Republican Unitary Enterprise “Bobruisk Integrated Printing House named after A.T.Nepogodin”.
The Goat Star. Catalog number: 1471
Element of protection
The Stazharye. Catalog number: 1472
Element of protection
The Three Mowers. Catalog number: 1473
Element of protection
The Wagon. Catalog number: 1474
Element of protection
A sheetlet is also issued. Sheetlet composition: 4 (1 sets) stamps. Sheetlet size: 152х119 mm. Print quantity: 10.000 sheetlets.
Astronomy. Starry sky through the eyes of Belarusians (1471, 1472, 1473, 1474). Catalog number: 10001471
Face value N is equal to the surface tariff of a postcard abroad.
The ancient Slavs knew about the existence of constellations and planets, they observed astronomical objects for orientation in space and time. With the appearance of celestial bodies, the change of seasons and time of day was associated. Among the ancient Slavs, all space objects known to them at that time had their own names, different from those familiar to us today.
The stamps represent the most noticeable and recognizable objects of the starry sky, which in the folk tradition had several names. For the image on the stamps, the most common ones are selected.
Capella is the brightest star in the constellation Auriga. In Belarus, the star Capella was called the Goat Star.
In the constellation Taurus, the Pleiades star cluster is located - in the Belarusian tradition the Stazharye (it was presented as a set of poles for the base of the haystack).
In the constellation Orion, our ancestors singled out three central stars. They represented the so-called Orion's Belt, one of the Belarusian names of which is the Three Mowers.
The constellation Great Bear was called the Wagon in Belarus, and the Milky Way (on the First Day Cover) was presented to our ancestors as a solid white strip along the sky, like a road for birds along which they flew to warmer climes, i.e. Bird's Road or Bird's Way.
The project was prepared in cooperation with the Minsk Planetarium.
Colour of the postmark – black.
Special postmark and FDC designed by Ya.Biadonik.
A special cancellation on FDC will be carried out at the Main Post Office of Minsk on the stamps issuing day.