20 Euros Cat’s Eye Nebula

Features

Issuer	Austria
Period	Second Republic (1945-date)
Type	Non-circulating coins
Year	2026
Value	20 Euros 20 EUR = USD 23
Currency	Euro (2002-date)
Composition	Srebro (.925)
Weight	22.42 g
Diameter	34 mm
Shape	Okrągły (nieregularny)
Technique	Coloured, Frezowana
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑
Issued	13 May 2026
Number	N# 579120
References	MO# 26931 Münze Österreich (https://www.muenzeoesterreich.at)

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Commemorative issue

(en) The Beauty of the Universe; Cat’s Eye Nebula

Series: The Beauty of the Universe

Obverse

(en) Flat in the centre, Cat’s Eye Nebula curves upwards towards the edge in several waves. The main motif on the coin’s obverse is a stylised representation of the Cat’s Eye Nebula. NGC 6543 refers to the New General Catalogue from 1888, which contains all deep sky objects known at the time of its publication. The inscription 3300 Lj indicates the distance of the Cat’s Eye Nebula from Earth. The coordinates Right Ascension: 17h 58m 33.4s and Declination: +66° 37´ 59’’ indicate the position of the celestial body.

Script: łaciński

Lettering:
2026 REPUBLIK OSTERREICH
20 EURO
NGC 6543
3300 Lj
Deklination: +66° 37´ 59’’
Rektaszension: 17h 58m 33.4s

Designer: Helmut Andexlinger

Reverse

(en) The coin’s reverse is printed with a coloured interpretation of the Cat’s Eye Nebula.

Script: łaciński

Lettering: KATZENAUGENNEBEL

Designer: Helmut Andexlinger

Edge

Mint

Austrian Mint (Münze Österreich), Vienna, Austria (1194-date)

Comments

(en)

Not just impressive, the discovery of the Cat’s Eye Nebula by the German-British astronomer Wilhelm Herschel (1738–1822) on 15 February 1786 helped turn what had been merely an assumption in physics into an immutable law. Indeed, despite appearing mysteriously misty, veiled and softly focused on this extraordinarily shaped and coloured coin, the Cat’s Eye Nebula, also known as NGC 6543, has provided modern science with crystal-clear insights.

Such a planetary nebula is formed when a star similar to our Sun, with no more than a few solar masses, reaches the end of its activity and becomes a red giant. The core contracts, the star’s envelope swells and pulsates, and with each pulse parts of the star’s atmosphere and outer layers are blown into space. The ejected matter is gaseous, has a temperature of about 10,000 kelvin and moves away from the star in all directions at several dozen kilometres per second.

NGC 6543 was the first planetary nebula to be studied in detail using spectroscopy. Making it possible for scientists to deduce its composition from the light emitted by the celestial body, this contributed to the insight that all observable celestial bodies consist of the same chemical elements as the Earth. This, in turn, led to an enormous gain in knowledge as it supported the scientific assumption that the laws of physics are the same throughout the universe. To date, no discovery has been made that casts the slightest doubt on this assumption. Before the (cosmic) law, we are all equal.

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Date			Mintage		VG	F	VF	XF	AU	UNC
Undetermined
2026			30 000							$ 120		(en) Proof

Values in the table above are expressed in USD. They are based on evaluations by Numista users and sales realized on Internet platforms. They serve as an indication only; they are not intended to be relied upon for buying, selling or exchanging. Numista does not buy or sell coins or banknotes.

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Numista Rarity index: 83 Search tips

This index is based on the data of Numista members collections. It ranges from 0 to 100, 0 meaning a very common coin or banknote and 100 meaning a rare coin or banknote among Numista members.

Bullion value: USD 49.69 Search tips

This value is given for information purpose only. It is based on a price of srebro at 2396 USD/kg. Numista does not buy or sell coins or metal.

Actual srebro weight: 0.667 oz

Current srebro price: 74.52 USD/oz (see silver price

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