2017 Total Solar Eclipse stamp
US Postal Service stamp of a Solar Eclipse
The United States Postal Service issued the Total Eclipse of the Sun Forever stamp on June 20, 2017. The stamp includes two superimposed images, one showing a total solar eclipse and the second showing a full moon that is revealed upon heat being applied. This stamp commemorates the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, which was visible across the continental United States from coast to coast, weather permitting.
Details
In the first U.S. stamp application of thermochromic ink, the Total Eclipse of the Sun Forever stamps reveal a second image. By rubbing a thumb or finger on the image, the heat imparted will cause an underlying image of the full moon to be revealed. Afterward, the image reverts to the dark image as it cools.
The US Postal Service notes that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light causes degradation of thermochromic inks, so the eclipse stamps should be shielded from sunlight to preserve their thermochromic behavior. To help with this, the Postal Service sends panes of this stamp to purchasers in special UV-blocking envelopes. In addition, UV-protective sleeves for the eclipse stamps are available from post offices for 25¢ each.
The photograph of the total solar eclipse on the stamp was taken at Jalu, Libya on March 29, 2006, by Fred Espenak.
“2017 Total Solar Eclipse stamp” enters the record as uS Postal Service stamp of a Solar Eclipse. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Total, Solar and Eclipse can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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