100 Hryven International Year of Astronomy

The International Year of Astronomy in 2009 marked the 400th anniversary of Galileo's first use of a telescope for systematic astronomical observation, and UNESCO coordinated commemorative programs across dozens of national mints that year. Ukraine's entry is among the most physically imposing — a kilogram of fine silver at 100mm is at the outer edge of what most sovereign mints attempt for single-coin issues. The National Bank of Ukraine had been producing large-format silver kilo coins since the mid-2000s, and this piece falls within that ambitious collector program rather than any circulating currency context.