Cosmic Cliffs Stamps

Description

2024 Cosmic Cliffs – Express Mail
• The first non-American Landmarks Series Express Mail stamp since 2008
• Pictures state-of-the-art image from NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope

Stamp Category: Definitive
Value: $30.45 Express Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: January 22, 2024
First Day City: Greenbelt, Maryland
Printing Method: Offset, Microprint
Format: Panes of 4
Tagging: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tag Applied

History the stamp represents: In 2024, the USPS issued an Express Mail stamp picturing an image from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). It shows a photograph of the structure known as the “Cosmic Cliffs,” located within the deep space Carina Nebula.

Before JWST was launched in 2022, there had been previous observations of the Carina Nebula, but some details were blocked from view. With JWST’s technological advancements, scientists could see through the cosmic dust. They were able to witness some of the earliest stages of star formation as well as a clearer view of the Cosmic Cliffs (so-called for the clouds of gas and dust resembling mountains and valleys). JWST used infrared imaging to capture the greatest degree of detail.

It is believed the Cosmic Cliffs were formed due to extreme ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds from the massive, hot, young stars in the region. As these forces erode the clouds of dust and gas, they form elaborate-looking structures. Before the JWST, ordinary visible light photographs could not capture these details. The space telescope can even capture images of protostellar jets shooting out from some of the young stars. According to NASA, they hope JWST will “address some of the great, open questions of modern astrophysics.”