LOUISIANA — The United States Postal Service has introduced new Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express stamps featuring extraordinary space images captured by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s James Webb Space Telescope.
The Priority Mail stamp highlights the Crab Nebula, located about 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus. The nebula is the expanding remnant of a massive star that exploded in 1054 A.D., an event recorded by astronomers in China and Japan. At its center lies a rapidly spinning neutron star, or pulsar. Using infrared technology, the James Webb Space Telescope reveals intricate filaments and glowing gas clouds that are often hidden from optical telescopes, providing new insight into how supernova remnants evolve.
The Priority Mail Express stamp features a dramatic image of two interacting galaxies, IC 2163 and NGC 2207. Captured in mid-infrared by Webb and combined with visible and ultraviolet observations from the Hubble Space Telescope, the composite image offers the highest-resolution view of the galaxy pair to date. The interaction between the galaxies has triggered waves of star formation, helping scientists better understand galactic evolution.
The Crab Nebula stamp is priced at $11.95, the same as a Priority Mail Flat-Rate Envelope, while the Galaxy Pair stamp costs $33.25, matching the Priority Mail Express Flat-Rate Envelope price. Both stamps are issued in panes of four and serve as miniature works of art celebrating discovery and exploration.