What the New USPS Spring Stamps Actually Celebrate7 min read

The Crab Nebula Stamp Reveals What Eyes Cannot See

The first of the two Webb stamps features the Crab Nebula, the remnant of a star that exploded in a supernova observed by astronomers in 1054 AD. What makes the Webb image distinctive is the instrument’s infrared capturing technology, which detects light wavelengths invisible to the human eye. The result is a level of structural detail in the nebula’s gas and dust filaments that earlier telescopes simply could not produce. The stamp is classified as Priority Mail Flat-Rate Envelope postage and sells for $11.95 each — a rate reflecting its use on heavier flat-rate packages rather than standard letters. It’s an unusual price point for a stamp, but the image itself is an unusual artifact: scientific data transformed into a piece of postal art that captures a cosmic explosion nearly a thousand years old.

Galaxy Pair Captures Two Galaxies in the Act of Interacting

The second Webb-related stamp features a composite image called Galaxy Pair, showing two galaxies — IC 2163 and NGC 2207 — caught in a slow gravitational interaction that will play out over millions of years. The image draws from both ultraviolet and visible light data collected by the Hubble Space Telescope, layered together into a single frame with striking detail. According to the USPS press release, the image offers insights into galactic evolution, star formation, and the fundamental forces shaping the cosmos. This stamp is classified as Priority Mail Express Flat-Rate Envelope postage, priced at $33.25 each — the highest price point of any stamp in this spring’s release. At that rate, it’s a collector’s item as much as functional postage, representing some of the most complex imaging technology ever deployed in orbit.