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External image
External image
	The two stamp images. On top-right is default stamp image. On bottom-left is image when heated.

Total Eclipse of the Sun stamp
Total Eclipse of the Sun stamp
Country of production	United States of America
Location of production	Browns Summit, North Carolina
Designer	Antonio Alcalá
Printer	Banknote Corporation of America
Dimensions	31.12 mm × 31.12 mm (1.225 in × 1.225 in)
Perforation	Die cut
Commemorates	Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017
Depicts	A total solar eclipse
Notability	First U.S. stamp using thermochromic ink
Estimated value	49¢

The United States Postal Service issued the Total Eclipse of the Sun^[2] Forever stamp^[3] on June 20, 2017.^[4] 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,^[5] weather permitting.

Details

In the first U.S. stamp application of thermochromic ink,^[6] 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.^[7] 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,^[8] by Fred Espenak. The stamp's alternate image is a photo of the full moon taken by Espenak^[9] at his observatory in Portal, Arizona in 2010.^[10] Known as "Mr. Eclipse", Espenak is a retired NASA astrophysicist.^[11] The stamp was designed by USPS art director Antonio Alcalá of Alexandria, Virginia.^[12]

The stamp is printed in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 16 stamps,^[13] in one design.^[14]

Denomination

The stamp is a Forever stamp so has no defined denomination which means it will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price, regardless of any future rate changes.^[12]

First day ceremony

The stamp's First-Day-of-Issue ceremony took place on June 20, 2017, at the University of Wyoming's Art Museum in conjunction^[15] with its annual summer solstice celebration. That building was designed with an architectural feature whereby, on the day of the summer solstice each year,^[16] a single beam of sunlight moves across the floor^[17] and shines on a silver dollar embedded in the floor in the center of the Rotunda Gallery at noon.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Update: Stamp Announcement 17-27: Total Eclipse of the Sun Stamp". United States Postal Service. 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2017-07-12. The technical details table for the Total Eclipse of the Sun stamp is shown here.
^ "Total Eclipse of the Sun to be commemorated on a Forever Stamp". United States Postal Service. 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
^ "Touch New Stamp and Presto, Total Solar Eclipse Becomes Moon". The New York Times. Associated Press. 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2017-07-09. the Forever 49 cent stamp
^ Rice, Doyle (2017-05-01). "Awesome new eclipse Forever stamp morphs when you touch it". USA Today. Retrieved 2017-07-09. The stamp's official release ceremony will take place at the Art Museum of the University of Wyoming in Laramie on June 20, the day of the summer solstice.
^ "Eclipse America". American Astronomical Society. 2017. Retrieved 2017-07-18. For the first time since 1979, a total eclipse of the Sun is coming to the continental United States, and for the first time since 1918, it is crossing the country from coast to coast.
^ Loison, Faustine (2017-05-24). "L'encre thermochromique qui éclipse le soleil" [Thermochromic ink that eclipses the sun]. GraphiLine.com (in French). Retrieved 2017-07-18. Ce timbre qui est le premier timbre américain qui utilise de l'encre thermochromique [This stamp is the first American stamp that uses thermochromic ink]
^ Fritz, Angela (2017-04-27). "The U.S. Postal Service designed this awesome stamp to celebrate the eclipse". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
^ "Sonnenfinsternis in den USA am 21. August: Wo die Sicht am besten ist" [Solar Eclipse in the USA on August 21: Where the visibility is best]. Der Spiegel (in German). 2017-06-10. Retrieved 2017-07-10. ... hält die US-Post bereit: Sie legt eine spezielle Briefmarke auf, die 'Total Solar Eclipse Forever'. Berührt man die auf der Marke abgebildete verdunkelte Sonne, erscheint ein Bild des Mondes. Das Foto auf der Briefmarke zeigt allerdings die Sonnenfinsternis vom 29. März 2006, aufgenommen in Libyen. [... the US Postal Service is ready: it is making a special stamp, the 'Total Solar Eclipse Forever'. If one touches the darkened sun on the stamp, a picture of the moon appears. The photo on the stamp shows, however, the solar eclipse of 29 March 2006, taken in Libya.]
^ Billau, Christine (2017-06-13). "UToledo alumnus captured photos featured on new stamp commemorating total solar eclipse". University of Toledo. Retrieved 2017-07-10. With the heat of a finger, Espenak's photo of the total eclipse of the sun transforms into an image of the full moon, also captured by Espenak.
^ Espenak, Fred (2017-05-20). "The story behind the 2017 eclipse stamp". EarthSky. Retrieved 2017-07-11. ... the full moon image was made from [Espenak's] observatory in Portal, Arizona in 2010.
^ White, Kaila (2017-05-08). "Eclipse photo on new U.S. stamp was taken by Arizonan known as 'Mr. Eclipse'". USA Today. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
^ ^a ^b Fienberg, Richard Tresch (2017-04-27). "Solar Eclipse to Be Commemorated on Thermochromic Stamp". American Astronomical Society. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
^ "Changeable Ink Can Make Moon Appear on U.S. Eclipse Stamp". American Philatelic Society. 2017-04-28. Archived from the original on 2017-07-16. Retrieved 2017-07-11. The stamp, printed in panes of 16, ...
^ "Stamp Announcement 17-27: Total Eclipse of the Sun Stamp". United States Postal Service. 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2017-07-12. On June 20, 2017, in Laramie, WY, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the Total Eclipse of the Sun stamp (Forever priced at 49 cents), in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 16 stamps (Item 475300). The $7.84 Total Eclipse of the Sun pane of 16 stamps may not be split, and the stamps may not be sold individually. The stamps will go on sale nationwide June 20, 2017.
^ "Transformer stamp released by US Postal Service". Associated Press. 2017-06-20. Retrieved 2017-07-18. Tuesday's ceremony was timed with the first day of summer.
^ Brackenridge, Kathryn (2017-06-02). "USPS Total Eclipse of the Sun Forever Stamp". Jackson, Wyoming and Teton County, Wyoming. Retrieved 2017-07-18. ... a single beam of sunlight shines on a silver dollar embedded in the floor, which occurs at noon on the summer solstice in the UW Art Museum's Rotunda Gallery.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ Baldwin, Chad (2017-04-27). "Postal Service's New Eclipse Stamp to be Launched at UW". University of Wyoming. Retrieved 2017-07-18. Visitors are encouraged to arrive at 11:30 a.m. to watch a beam of sunlight move across the floor, hitting an embedded silver dollar in the center of the Rotunda Gallery at noon