Untitled

Press, 21 February 1986, Page 16

These highly stylised stamps, drawn by the British cartoonist, Ralph Steadman, feature Halley’s Comet and were issued by the British Post Office on Tuesday. The comet has been chronicaled throughout history and has been the Earth’s most regular and reliable cosmic visitor. The 17p stamp shows,a caricature of Edmond Halley (1656-1742), England’s second Astronomer Royal and the first person not only to calculate the orbits of comets, but also to make a correct prediction about the comet’s return. ; ,

On the 22p stamp is a representation of the Giotto spacecraft launched by the European Space Agency to take a close look at Halley’s Comet and named after the Italian artist who used the comet in 1301 to portray the Star of Bethlehem. The 31p stamp bears the legend “Maybe twice in a lifetime,” highlighting the comet’s regular appearance every 76 years. The 34p stamp depicts the comet orbiting the sun. The actual size of the stamps is 41mm by 30mm.