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Australian Antarctic Territory 1991 – Aurora australis

This stamp, illustrated with a photograph of a flowing aurora over Antarctica, was issued in June 1991 to mark the 30th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty. The photographer was Gordon McInnes, who was officer-in-charge at the Australian base called Casey Station in Antarctica in 1970 and 1973. I have not been able to ascertain when or where this photograph was taken, but I suspect it was at Casey in 1973. That would make it a particularly early example of a colour photograph of an aurora. It certainly seems to be the first genuine photograph of an aurora on a stamp, as distinct from artwork. A companion stamp depicted the maiden voyage of the Australian research vessel appropriately called the Aurora Australis.


SG number
Face value
Colour
88
43 cents
Multicoloured
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