UNIVERSE Glow in the Dark Glass Fume Silver Coin 20$ Canada 2016

The engraved reverse design by Canadian artist Ardell Bourgeois features a depiction of the NRC Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory (DRAO) near Penticton, British Columbia. Against the tree-lined mountain to the north, the 26-metre John A. Galt Telescope is pointed up to the sky to capture and transmit the radio wavelengths originating from space. The soft colours of the blue sky and light clouds provide a beautiful backdrop to the engraved building in the foreground, which is easily identified by the NRC-CNRC logo. Under lit conditions, the coloured sky masks a spectacular hidden feature: the presence of glow-in-the-dark stars, as they would appear in the night sky over the observatory. To the left, artist Loïc Beaumont-Tremblay has handcrafted a lightweight yet resilient glass embellishment, which presents an artistic representation of a radio signal received by the telescope. Using a mix of glass and silver fume, the effect is achieved by working at extremely high temperatures in order to replicate the wave shape; the addition of luminescence also gives the wave a captivating glow, adding an otherworldly quality to this celebration of astrophysical achievement.