Today, March 24 2006, Austria Post brings every Astronomer closer to Philately. That is because todays stamp issue has been sprinkled with real meteorite powder!

600,000 copies have been made of the 3.75-euro (4.50-dollar) stamp, which will contain 0.03 grams of star dust. “The powder comes from a 19-kilogram meteorite found two years ago in Morocco that we crushed through a special process,” says Michael Homola spokesman for Austria Post.

A collector bought the stony meteorite, also known as a chondrite, after it was authenticated by Vienna’s Natural History Museum. “One thing is certain, we are the first in the world to incorporate real meteorite powder in a postal stamp,” the spokesman said.