USPS Explores the Cosmos with Latest Priority Mail Stamps

The Cosmic Cliffs as captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope

By DaMarko Webster

The U.S. Postal Service is commemorating NASA’s ongoing exploration of deep space with the release of two new stamps featuring captivating images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope. Among these stamps is the $9.85 Pillars of Creation Priority Mail stamp and the $30.45 Cosmic Cliffs Priority Mail Express stamp.

Launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on December 25, 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope stands as the largest and most sensitive telescope ever deployed in space. Unveiling the cosmos in vivid, infrared detail, it is engineered to provide scientists with awe-inspiring images and unprecedented data.

The Pillars of Creation Priority Mail stamp showcases the breathtaking Pillars of Creation, a trillions-of-miles-tall formation located 6,500 light-years away within the expansive Eagle Nebula. Enveloped in gas and dust, these pillars shroud stars forming over countless millennia. Captured by the Webb Telescope in 2022, this haunting image offers a fresh perspective on a vast stellar landscape. The red areas at the end of the Pillars depict burgeoning stars ejecting raw materials during their formation, while scattered red orbs signify newly born stars. Some of this material may eventually coalesce into new planets.

The Cosmic Cliffs of the Carina Nebula, depicted on the $30.45 Cosmic Cliffs Priority Mail Express stamp, serve as a stellar nursery—a birthplace for new stars and planets. The Webb Telescope’s detailed image reveals a region of intense energy and activity within our Milky Way galaxy.

Within the expansive swirl of the Cosmic Cliffs, radiation and solar winds from newly formed stars create a dynamic environment of creation and destruction. The red and yellow flares scattered throughout the image signify developing and newly born stars, while orange and brown clouds in the lower third represent swirls of dust and gas. The blue and black regions above and beyond the nebula showcase additional stars in the Milky Way and distant galaxies.

Both stamps are available for purchase in panes of four, allowing enthusiasts and collectors to commemorate these stunning celestial vistas captured by the James Webb Space Telescope.