USPS Issues New Sun Science Stamps Showcasing Different Solar Activity as Seen From Space

It has been over a decade since NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory started its mission of observing the Sun from space. In commemoration of over ten years in space, the US Postal Service has issued a set of a new set of stamps that showcases a range of solar activity.

The USPS announced the issuance of the new Sun Science stamps on June 18 during a ceremony at the Greenbelt Main Post Office in Maryland, CNN reported.

Sun Stamps Highlights A Decade-Long Sun Observation From Space

USPS general counsel and executive vice president Thomas J. Marshall said that the Postal Service hopes that the amazing Sun Science stamps will help generate curiosity and wonder about the Sun that inspired many scientists at NASA to better understand the closest star of Earth and the multitude of possibilities that lie in the Solar System.

The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) was launched into space on February 11, 2010, and is part of the Living With A Star Program (LWS), a scientific program that studies the aspects of the Sun-Earth system that affect life.

Since then, the SDO began collecting data using its two imaging instruments that provide complementary views of the Sun. The instrument also measures the magnetic field of the Sun and the solar material at its surface. More so, the SDO helps scientists to probe deep into the star's interior.

Dr. Dean Pesnell, the SDO project scientist at NASA Goddard, said that the SDO has given scientists the ecology of the Sun and painted a picture of Earth's closest star, one detail at a time.

The Sun Science stamps feature ten different images from the SDO: Coronal Hole (captured in 2011 and 2016), Coronal Loops (captured in 2012 and 2015), Solar Flare (both taken in 2011), Active Sun, Plasma Blasts (captured in 2012 and 2014), and Sunspots.

New Sun Science Stamps

Here is the brief story behind each design of the stamps from the US Postal Service according to NASA:

Coronal Hole

A coronal hole is a dark area capping the northern polar region of the Sun in which high-speed solar wind escapes into space. Between May 17 and 19, 2016, the SDO captured images of the coronal hole and is now used as one of the showcased Sun photos in the Sun Science stamp. The image shows the Sun in 211 Angstrom light, a wavelength of extreme UV light.

The second coronal hole in the Sun Science stamps was taken between January 9 and 12, 2011, in extreme UV wavelength 193 Angstroms.

Coronal Loops

Coronal loops are mostly found over sunspots and active regions of the Sun. These areas have intense and complex magnetic fields. One of the photos featured in the Sun Science stamps was captured on June 18, 2015, in an extreme UV wavelength at 302 Angstroms.

Meanwhile, another photo of the coronal loop is also featured in the Sun Science stamps, which were captured just days after the Sun unleashed a powerful X-class solar flare. These images were captured from July 8- 10, 2012, in extreme UV wavelength 171 Angstroms.

Solar Flares

The X-class solar flares are among the most powerful type of solar flares, which could disrupt GPS and radio signals and disturb a part of the Earth's atmosphere. The first image was taken on August 9, 2011, in extreme UV wavelength 335 Angstroms, while the second one showed another view of the August 9 X-class solar flare in extreme UV wavelength at 131 angstroms.

Active Sun

Active regions in the Sun are areas of intense and complex magnetic fields that are linked to sunspots and are prone to erupting with solar flares or eruptions called coronal mass ejections. The image in the Sun Science stamps was captured on October 8, 2014, in extreme UV wavelength 171 Angstroms.

Plasma Blasts

Plasma blasts are also called coronal mass ejection, creating space weather effects on Earth's magnetic environment, including the aurora and satellite disruptions. Images in the new set of stamps were taken on Aug. 31, 2012, and October 2, 2014, in extreme UV wavelengths 171 and 304 Angstroms.

Sunspots

Sunspots are dark spots in the Sun that are relatively cool compared to surrounding material. Images of the sunspots in the stamp were captured between October 20-26, 2014, in visible light.

Check out more news and information on the Sun on Science Times.