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Last week, the United States Postal Services announced the release of a new stamp. Called the Total Eclipse Forever, it will be released in honor of the August total solar eclipse. But the stamp in itself will be quite special as well. Based on its thermodynamic ink, this will be able to change its image. All thanks to some heat from the user’s thumb.
Total Eclipse Forever Will Become Available In June
In its press release, the U.S. Postal Services released details about its plans for the new stamp. At the same time, it also offered some details about its latest product. As the Services pointed out, this is a first-of-its-kind stamp.
All thanks to its image changing nature, enabled by the use of the thermochromic ink technology. This type of inks is vulnerable to prolonged exposure to UV light. As such, it should be kept out of direct sunlight “as much as possible”. This will help prolong its longevity and maintain its unique effect.
The first image in the Total Eclipse Forever Stamp shows a total solar eclipse. Customers can either press their thumb or fingers on it or rub the stamp. In doing so, they will unearth the second picture, showing the Moon.
Both of the used pictures were captured by Fred Espenak aka Mr. Eclipse, an astrophysicist. As the stamp cools down, it will also return to its original image. This was taken during the March 29th, 2006 total solar eclipse, in Jalu, Libya.
The Total Eclipse Forever will be issued as a “Forever” stamp. As such, it will be equal in value to the First—Class Mail 1-ounce current price. The stamp will start being available on June 20th, about two months before the much-anticipated eclipse. According to its press release, the Postal Services are also encouraging the public to spread the news about its latest stamp. Anyone can do so by using #EclipseStamps.
The Postal Service also said that “Tens of millions of people in the United States hope to view this rare event, which has not been seen on the U.S. mainland since 1979.”
Image Source: Flickr
