2025 $31.40 Star Cluster,Priority Mail Express

US
2025 Star Cluster

• 2025 Priority Mail Express stamp
• Celebrates America’s deep space exploration
• Image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope
  
  

Stamp Category:  Definitive
Value:  $31.40, Priority Mail Express Rate
First Day of Issue:  January 21, 2025
First Day City:  Big Sky, Montana
Quantity Issued:  600,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset, Microprint
Format:  Pane of 4

Why the stamp was issued:  This stamp was issued in response to a rate increase for the Priority Mail Express.

About the stamp design:  The image for the stamp is star cluster IC348, located in the constellation Perseus. Located about 1,000 light-years away from Earth, the star cluster was recorded by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Inside the cluster of stars are three floating brown dwarfs. Scientists believe these will help them understand how stars are formed. The developing stars are surrounded by a cloud of celestial dust, shown in pink, purple, and white through the telescope’s filters.
The image was provided by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), ESA (European Space Agency), CSA (Canadian Space Agency), STScI (Space Telescope Science Institute), Keven Luhman (Penn State University), and Catarina Alves de Oliveira (ESA).

First Day City:  There was no First Day of Issue ceremony, but the First Day of Issue postmark was from Big Sky, Montana. As its name suggests, this area is known for its unobstructed view of the sky.

History the stamp represents:  Star cluster IC 348 is a young (2-3 million years old) region of star formation located about 1,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Perseus. It is tucked away in the Perseus Molecular Cloud and is an active stellar nursery where new stars are born.

IC 348 is especially interesting due to the diversity of its star population. Many of the cluster’s stars are low-mass (similar or smaller in size than our Sun), but it also hosts a few massive, bright stars. This young cluster is a thriving area of scientific study due to the presence of protoplanetary disks. These structures are swirling disks of gas and dust surrounding young stars. They can eventually form planets, so astronomers watch them closely to gain insights into the early stages of planetary system formation. Brown dwarfs are also of great interest to astronomers. These objects are too massive to be considered planets, but not quite large enough to be fully fledged stars. Astronomers study them to learn more about star formation and the lower limits of stellar mass.

Visible primarily in infrared light due to the thick dust and gas clouds in the region, IC 348 fascinates both amateur astronomers and professionals. They all hope this star cluster will help them unravel the mysteries of stellar and planetary evolution.