For the seventh time in the series, Maryland American Innovation Dollars were minted in 2020. In addition, they feature Hubble Space Telescope imagery.
Over the past 15 years, Hubble has provided breathtaking images of deep space to scientists and the general public. Hubble is a highly technologically advanced piece of equipment that humans have ever put into orbit, enabling researchers to make important discoveries about our universe, from planets and stars to galaxies and cosmology. Thanks to scientists and engineers’ dedication and hard work, the telescope has helped us better understand the history and fate of our universe.
The Hubble Space Telescope has been in orbit since 1990. The telescope’s origins are much older. Following World War II, the first space-based optical observatories were conceived.
According to Yale University professor and researcher Lyman Spitzer, observations based on the ground would offer immense advantages over a space telescope.
As he explains in Astronomical Advantages of an Extra-Terrestrial Observatory, a star’s light is distorted and blurred by the Earth’s atmosphere. In contrast, this phenomenon does not affect an orbiting telescope, while even the most advanced and precise telescope on the ground is affected. Further, the atmosphere blocks the X-rays generated by high-temperature objects on the Earth, making them inaccessible to instruments on the surface. Astronomers could measure these emissions using a space telescope as well.
American Innovation Dollar Characteristics
An image of the Hubble Space Telescope in Earth’s orbit is depicted on the reverse of the card. On NASA’s typeface, you will see the words “United States of America,” “Hubble Space Telescope,” and “Maryland.” An image of a sculpture by Joseph Menna appears on the reverse.
2020 Maryland Hubble Space Telescope – American Innovation Dollars
Authorizing Legislation: H.R. 770, American Innovation $1 Coin Act
Click here to buy the 2020 Maryland Innovation Dollar on eBay
Dollar Obverse Inscriptions
In God We Trust
$1
Dollar Reverse Inscriptions
United States of America
Maryland
The Hubble Space Telescope
Incused Edge Inscriptions
2020
Mint Mark
E Pluribus Unum
Mint & Dollar Mint Marks
Denver and Philadelphia in Business Strikes
San Francisco in Proof and Reverse Proof Strikes
Available Dollar Mint Strikes
Business, Proof & Reverse Proof
American Innovation Dollar Specifications
Composition: 88.5% Copper, 6% Zinc, 3.5% Manganese and 2% Nickel
Weight: 8.1 grams
Thickness: 2.0mm
Edge: Incused Letter
Diameter: 26.49mm
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