#031 Canada...Thanks Eric!

This cover features a Lest We Forget souvenir sheet issued on Oct.19,2009.

Every year on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Canadian people share a moment of silence to honour the memory of the men and women of Canada’s Armed Forces who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country. This tradition provides an opportunity to express collective sense of sorrow for the loss that war produces, as well as a chance to rejoice in the legacy of peace and freedom that Canadian soldiers have defended and preserved.

The 54c stamp is from 2009 International Year of Astronomy issue of Canada.

It features the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). This world-class 3.6 metre telescope is located atop the summit of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano rising 4,200 metres above the Pacific Ocean. Opened in 1979, the highly-successful CFHT is Canada’s first partnership in an international observatory, in this case between the University of Hawaii, France’s Centre national de la recherche scientifique, and the National Research Council of Canada. The observatory is featured before the Eagle Nebula, a massive tower of cold gas and dust shaped like a mythical beast in the constellation of Serpens. Both nebulae were photographed by Jean-Charles Cuillandre with the CFHT