Announced October 23, 2023:
Captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, this extremely high-definition infrared image shows the magnificent Pillars of Creation formation within the Eagle Nebula. By assigning color to various wavelengths, the digitized image allows us to see a landscape otherwise invisible to the human eye. Red areas toward the end of the pillars show burgeoning stars ejecting raw materials as they form, while the relatively small red orbs scattered throughout the image show newly born stars. Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp with an image provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency and the Space Telescope Science Institute.
Further information will be posted below the line, with the newest information at the top.
Updated March 2nd:
The Scott catalogue number for this issue is 5827.
Updated January 11th:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue:
The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.88″ x 1.47″
