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Postal Service commemorates eclipse with special stamps

Posted at 4:50 PM, Aug 19, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-19 16:56:05-04

RICHMOND, Va. – The United States Postal Service is commemorating the Great American Eclipse with special stamps.

On Monday, August 21 from noon to 4 p.m., USPS will off Total Eclipse of the Sun Forever stamps and offer a special postmark.

The stamps use thermochromic ink to transform the image of an eclipse into an image of the moon when the heat of your finger is applied to it.

“This is one of the most exciting stamps that the Postal Service has ever released,” said Richmond District Manager Scott Bower. “A simple touch with your finger can replicate the extraordinary experience of a solar eclipse.”

The stamp photo was taken by retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espena. Espenak has seen 28 eclipses and is considered to be the world’s leading authority on total eclipses.

If your post office is out of the stamps, you can purchase them online here.