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WHAT: |
Special dedication ceremony for the Total Eclipse of the Sun Forever Stamp that commemorates the August 21 eclipse. Dedication will be followed by a lecture on the August 21 eclipse given by Dr. James Lattis. The event is free and open to the public. Please share the news on social media using the hashtag #EclipseStamps. |
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WHO: |
Madison Postmaster, Paul Nistler |
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WHEN: |
Saturday, July 8, 2017, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm |
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WHERE: |
UW Space Place |
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BACKGROUND: |
The Total Eclipse of the Sun Forever stamp is the first-of-its-kind application of thermochromatic ink on a stamp. The image changes by using the heat of a finger. In this case, the eclipse image transforms into an image of the Moon. Once cooled, the image reverts back to the eclipse. Visit this link for additional details. The stamp image is a photograph taken by astrophysicist Fred Espenak, aka Mr. Eclipse, of Portal, AZ, that shows a total solar eclipse seen from Jalu, Libya; on March 29, 2006. Espenak also took the photograph of the full moon. Dr. James Lattis, Faculty Associate, UW-Madison Dept. of Astronomy, will present “Return of the Corona: The Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017”. A total solar eclipse has not been visible from the continental United States since February of 1979, so for nearly 40 years, eclipse chasers of the US have had to go abroad to witness these spectacular events. That changes on August 21 when the moon’s shadow will streak across the countryside from Oregon to South Carolina. This presentation will explain why we have eclipses of various types, why some of them seem so rare and what we can expect from this one. The talk will also cover safe methods of observing the eclipse and what viewers in Wisconsin should expect. Hands on activities for children will follow. Children will participate in a “make your own eclipse viewer project so that they can enjoy the solar eclipse event. The Total Eclipse of the Sun stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp, which is always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price. |
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