
Stories of the Constellations

  
information on Korean stamp
Date of Issue |
: 2015.02.27 |
Types |
: 16 |
Denomination |
: 300 won |
Design |
: |
Stamp No. |
: 3031 |
Printing Process
& Colors |
: Offset, five colors |
Size of Stamp |
: 36 × 32.5, 38 × 28 |
WholeSheet
Composition |
: 1×12(36×32.5), 1×4(38×28) |
Image Area |
: 36 × 32.5, 38 × 28 |
Paper |
: Self adhesive |
Perforation |
: null |
Printer |
: Cartor for POSA |
Designer |
: Shin, Jae-yong |
Quantity |
: 100,000 stamp |
Detail
The night sky is filled with stars. Some of them are part
of constellations, named after animals or figures in Greek
mythology, that were designated to make it easier for
people to locate them in celestial sphere. Constellations
were excellent guides for travelers and navigators, and
served as a tool for astrologers to predict one’s future.
Constellations originate from Old Babylonian astronomy,
which was practiced by nomadic tribes thousands of
years ago. Series of ancient tablets found in the region
show engravings of some 20 constellations, including 12
along the ecliptic - the apparent paths of the Sun and
the planets across the celestial sphere - such as Aries,
Taurus, Gemini, and Cancer. The ancient nomadic tribes
had to continually move from one place to another
to find pastures for their livestock, and the stars and
celestial phenomena must have been essential indicators
of time and change of seasons for them. Ancient Egyptian
merchants who traded across the Mediterranean Sea also
designated constellations for use as navigational guides.
These ancient astronomical systems were adopted later
by the Greeks, and the constellations were named after
gods, heroes, and beasts of Greek mythology.
Since then, many more constellations have been named
by astrologers and scientists. People in each region of the
world gave them different names, identified them in their
own unique way, and divided the celestial sphere as they
saw fit. This caused great confusion worldwide. Then, in
1930, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) divided
the celestial sphere into 88 constellations and established
them as the official modern constellations. They include
12 constellations along the ecliptic, 28 in the northern
sky, and 48 in the southern sky. Though the constellations
seem to be static in the sky, they actually move slowly
across it due to the Earth’s rotation and its revolution
around the sun. They move approximately 15°each hour
from east to west and about 1°to the west each day
relative to the exact time of the previous day. This is
the very reason why we see different constellations at
different times of year.
The“Stories of the Constellations”stamps feature an
overview of the twelve constellations associated with
Greek mythology as well as the four constellations that
each represent a season. The stamp sheet includes brief
stories of the featured constellations and their shapes to
help philatelists enjoy the night sky even more.
