New coin with a piece of real meteorite designed by a Vancouver artist

Vancouverite Alexandra Lefort 's passions for painting and planetary science came together when the occasion came to design the last coin of the Royal Canadian Mint.

Growing up in the small town of Vermelles in the north of France, Lefort stared at the stars of his small telescope, and in turn gave free rein to his imagination through his illustrations.

Now a researcher with a doctoral study on forms of water on Mars, she has designed a piece that represents only a piece of actual meteorite from a crater field in Argentina that would have impacted there is around 4,500 years old.

"These are objects that I have been fascinated with since I was a child," said Lefort.

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, 5,500 coins will be minted, each with a unique piece of iron meteorite.

The design is a re-vision of the company logo. It displays an array of light, each representing different emission spectra for gases found in a group of stars known as the Eagle Nebula.

"That's the type of color you would see from the images received by a Hubble telescope," she said. "It's beautiful and at the same time shows the complexity of the universe."

A prominent display of The Manicouagan crater in Quebec is also in the lower right corner of the room as a tribute to Canadian research on meteorite dynamics and impact craters. The top of the room shows a solar eclipse, to mark the eclipse visible by Vancouverites in August 2017.

Lefort has worked on several coins in the past, including one in honor of Roberta Bondar, the first female Canadian astronaut in space, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of her mission.

"Each piece is a different concept, but this one was the first time I was asked to make one that would contain a piece of material and the first one was focused on space objects," he said. -she says.

The play honors the contributions of astronomical society and Canadian astronomers. Retired Canadian astronaut Dave Williams was present at the inauguration.

"What's really amazing is that Canadian astronomers are among the most recognized in the world," Williams said. "They are among the most scientifically quoted.We are at the forefront and we have traveled throughout the history of Canada. "

Mr. Williams said he hoped the piece would allow people to marvel at the astronomical work of Canadians.

"SSomewhere in Canada, there may be a 10-year-old who will grow up one day on Mars, "he said.

Lefort, agree.

"I hope that design is something that will make people look in the sky and learn more about what is there," said Lefort. "It's part of our origin, and it's more important than everyday life."

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