The silver coin with a nominal value of 10 euro was minted in quality proof on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Slovak astronomer Maximilian Hell.

Maximilian Hell was born near today's Banská Štiavnica. When he entered the Jesuit order, he gained access to the finest education that could be given to him in the 18th century. He studied philosophy, theology and the natural sciences - especially physics and astronomy, which became his life's mission. He observed celestial bodies, gave public lectures, published scientific journals and kept in touch with the scientific world. He became the Imperial Astronomer and was entrusted by Empress Maria Theresa with the management of the observatory of the University of Vienna. This observatory then became the centre of natural science research in the Habsburg monarchy. The greatest event in Heller's life was the observation of the transit of Venus across the solar disk in 1769. He followed this phenomenon all the way to the Arctic Circle, where he determined the parallax of the Sun and its distance from the Earth with extraordinary precision. Hell's efforts did not go unrewarded - he received worldwide recognition and became a leading member of learned societies in Paris, Stockholm, Bologna, Copenhagen, Göttingen, Trondheim and London.

The reverse side of the coin presents a portrait of Maximilian Hell from the time of his expedition beyond the Arctic Circle - he is wearing typical Lapland clothing and behind him there is a depiction of the transit of Venus across the Sun. The composition of the reverse side is supplemented with the astronomer's name and the life years. The obverse side of the coin then bears the figure of an astronomer, who is examining the night sky with a contemporary telescope. The necessary attributes of the euro coin are the nominal value of 10 EURO, the inscription SLOVENSKO, the year of issue 2020 and the Slovak national emblem. All of this is the work of the medal maker Karol Ličko.

The coin was minted by the Slovak Mint of Mincovňa Kremnica and issued by the National Bank of Slovakia.