Catch a Falling Star and Put It in Your Stamp Book

Next weekend it may look like the stars are falling when the Perseids put on their dazzling annual light display. My family was fortunate enough to catch the show one summer while on a camping trip to the Adirondacks. For hours we watched as one shooting star after another streaked across the sky. It was an amazing sight.

The Perseids meteor showers, so named because they appear to originate from the constellation Perseus, occur every year at this time. They become visible when Earth passes through the debris cloud of the Swift-Tuttle comet.

It only looks like the meteors are falling from the sky. Actually, Earth is plowing through the cloud of dust and rock, gravity pulling particles into our atmosphere. As they strike the atmosphere at speeds of more than 130,000 mph, the bits of rock burn up, leaving the spectacular trails we call shooting stars. Take a drive out into the country next weekend. The best viewing time will be between midnight August 12 and dawn August 13.

This amazing stamp from Australia makes it possible to capture a bit of falling star. A special 2006 issue, Australia's Mail from a Different World circle stamp features actual meteorite particles in its design. Examined by the prestigious Vienna Natural History Museum, the meteorite used is a 19 kg stone meteorite composed of the mineral olivine and identified as a H-chondrite meteorite.

The meteorite is believed to have originated in the Asteroid Belt that orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter. The portion of the meteorite not used in the production of the stamp series is on display at the museum. For more detailed information and to order, click the post title.