The U.S. Postal Service has issued two new Priority Mail stamps to celebrate NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, the largest, most powerful, and most complex space telescope in history. The two stamps, released on January 22, showcase images of the universe captured by Webb since its science mission began in 2022. The Webb telescope is a mission led by NASA in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
The U.S. Postal Service issued a Priority Mail stamp on January 22, 2024. The pattern is the Pillars of Creation (Pillars of Creation) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) James Webb Space Telescope. USPS Art Director Greg Breeding designed the stamp, with images provided by NASA, ESA, CSA and the Space Telescope Science Institute. Image source: USPS

The images were taken by two of Webb's instruments, including the Near-Infrared Imager, built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and responsible for launch management.

"NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is a perfect blend of science, engineering and art that reveals the greatest secrets of the universe through the beautiful images it captures," said Nicola Fox, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "With these stamps, people across the country can capture Webb's captivating images - and the incredible science they represent - at their fingertips, and know that they, too, are a part of this groundbreaking new era of astronomy."

The United States Postal Service issued a "Priority Mail Express" stamp on January 22, 2024, highlighting an image of the Carina Nebula taken by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. U.S. Postal Service art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp, with images provided by NASA, the European Space Agency, ESA and the Space Telescope Science Institute. Image source: USPS

The first of the new stamps, a "Priority Mail Express" stamp, features an image of the "cosmic cliff" in the Carina Nebula, taken by Webb's Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam), about 7,600 light-years away. The image shows emerging star nurseries and individual stars that were previously hidden. This scene is one of the first full-color images exposed by the Webb Telescope in July 2022. It demonstrates the telescope's ability to peer into cosmic dust and provides us with a new perspective on the star formation process.

The other stamp, a Priority Mail stamp, features an image of the Pillars of Creation captured by Weber's Mid-Infrared Imager (MIRI). NASA's Hubble Space Telescope first brought this familiar landscape to prominence, with Webb's images showing gas and dust surrounding slowly forming stars that have been forming over thousands of years. The Pillars of Creation are located in a giant nebula 6,500 light-years away.

The new stamps, which will join a permanent stamp issued by the USPS in 2022, feature the artist's digital illustration of Weber against a starry sky.

This stamp issued by the United States Postal Service commemorates Webb's achievements as he continues his mission to explore the unknown of the universe and study various stages of its history. Webb has unraveled the mysteries of some of the most distant galaxies, stars and black holes ever observed; solved a long-standing mystery about the early universe; given us a more detailed look at the atmospheres of extrasolar planets than ever before; and provided new perspectives and insights into our own cosmic backyard.