Postal Service goes dark: Stamp emulates solar eclipse
Ink will change color under your thumb
The U. S. Postal Service is getting in on the nationwide solar eclipse craze.
The agency announced Thursday that it will release a stamp showcasing the total solar eclipse Aug. 21. Known as the “Total Solar Eclipse Forever” stamp, it will transform from the image of a black, eclipsed sun into an image of the moon under the heat of your finger.
The stamp image is a photo of a total solar eclipse seen in Jalu, Libya, on March 29, 2006. The photo was taken by retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak, aka “Mr. Eclipse.”
It’s the first U. S. stamp to use thermochromic ink, which changes color with heat and light. Rubbing the eclipse image with your thumb or finger will reveal an underlying image of the moon, also taken by Espenak. The image will revert back to the eclipse once it cools.
The back of the stamp pane provides a map of the eclipse path.
On Aug. 21, a total solar eclipse will be visible from coast to coast. It will be the first total eclipse visible only in the USA since our nation’s founding in 1776. It will also be the first total solar eclipse to sweep across the entire country in 99 years, NASA said. A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon gets in the way of the sun, turning day to an eerie twilight. Barring pesky clouds, more Americans should be able to see this one than ever before as it passes through 12 states. The eclipse will start on the West Coast in Oregon and trace a 67- milewide path east across the country, finally exiting the East Coast in South Carolina. At any given location, the total eclipse will last two to three minutes. The stamp’s official release ceremony will take place at the Art Museum of the University of WyomingLaramie on June 20, the day of the summer solstice. Laramie will be one of the cities in the eclipse’s path.