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A 2 euro commemorative coin of the Vatican City State, issued in 2009 in a circulation of 115,000 copies. Dedicated to the International Year of Astronomy. Bimetallic, diameter 25.75 mm, weight 8.5 g. Minted at the IPZS in Rome.
Obverse
In the center of the coin is a geometric composition divided into four sectors. In the upper right sector is a fragment of Michelangelo's fresco "The Creation of the Stars" from the Sistine Chapel (1511); in the upper left is Galileo's telescope, with which the scientist first observed celestial bodies in 1609; in the lower left is a sundial; in the lower right is a modern telescope. At the bottom of the composition is the sun surrounded by stars and planets. At the top is the mint mark "R" and the year "2009". On the left and right - the name of the author and engraver. The inscriptions "CITTÀ DEL VATICANO" and "ANNO INTERNAZIONALE DELL'ASTRONOMIA". On the outer ring - the 12 stars of the European Union.
Reverse
The reverse is the common side of the 2 euro coins of the second type, designed by Luc Luix. A map of Europe without internal borders, on the left - the denomination "2" and the inscription "EURO", on the right - a map. On the outer ring - the 12 stars of the EU. On the band - a groove with the inscription "2 ★ ★", repeated six times.
Historical context
The International Year of Astronomy 2009 was proclaimed by the 62nd UN General Assembly in December 2007 and coordinated by UNESCO and the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The year marked the 400th anniversary of two of the most important events in the history of astronomy: the first astronomical observations with a telescope by Galileo Galilei (1609) and the publication of Johannes Kepler's Astronomia Nova (1609) with the first two laws of planetary motion. The Vatican has deep ties to astronomy - in 1582 Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar based on astronomical calculations. The Vatican Observatory (Specola Vaticana), one of the oldest in the world, was founded in 1774 and has a modern research station in Arizona (USA). The coin highlights the dialogue between the Church and modern science.