Special Stamps: Meteorite Shower over Jilin

On June 21 2003, the State Postal Bureau issued a set of three special stamps celebrating the historic meteorite shower over Jilin City.

At 3:01 pm on March 8 1976, a 4-ton meteorite plummeted to earth at a speed of 15-18 km per second, bursting into a spectacular shower 19 km above the northern outskirts of Jilin City, Jilin Province. The meteorite, of an estimated weight of 2,700 kg, exploded into 138 fragments that fell over an area 72 km from east to west and 8 km from south to north. The largest piece, Jilin Meteorite No. 1, at a weight of 1,770 kg, is the world's largest.

In graduating shades of blue, the three stamps picture the meteorites' fall and scatter, and Jilin Meteorite No.1

The first stamp shows three meteorites shooting towards the globe, on which the Euroasian Continent is highlighted. Set against the unmistakable backdrop of Jilin City's Songhua River and Jilin Bridge, the sheen and hue of sparks given off by the meteorites as they penetrate the aerosphere is in brilliant detail.

The second stamp focuses on the meteorite distribution area. The map of Jilin City and the time of the fall in the background, a light blue oval indicates the point at which the meteor exploded, and the area over which the meteorites scattered on landing.

The third stamp shows the crater left by Jilin Meteorite No.1, and signifies that it is the world largest meteorite. The artist's skillful use of shading gives it a 3-D image, indicating in detail its exact shape.