WASHINGTON — The polar lights, among nature’s most intriguing phenomena, are coming to the mail.
Two new 41-cent stamps featuring the northern lights — aurora borealis — and southern lights — aurora australis — were unveiled Monday in ceremonies at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum.
While these flowing displays of color are often seen near the poles, it’s rare to see them at more distant latitudes.
“But we’re about to change all that, soon they will be dancing in the mail,” said H. Glen Walker, chief financial officer of the Postal Service.
“Beyond their obvious beauty, these stamps also carry a message. Just as it is our privilege to enjoy the wonders of nature, it is also our duty to preserve and protect these wonders,” he added.
The stamps are being issued during the International Polar Year, a period of increased scientific research and exploration in the polar regions.
The auroras produce a luminous, often moving, glow in the sky when electrons from the sun are channeled to the poles by the Earth’s magnetic field. There the electrons strike molecules in the atmosphere, creating the lights.
The northern lights stamp is based on a photo by Fred Hirschmann of Wasilla, Alaska. German photographer Per-Andre Hoffmann took the picture used on the southern lights stamp.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.