Solar Eclipse Celebrated With New Stamp

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — In anticipation of a solar eclipse that will cross 14 states and more than 1,100 cities this summer, the U.S. Postal Service has issued a commemorative stamp that changes from total eclipse to full moon from the heat of a finger.

The stamp, which will be unveiled at the University of Wyoming with NASA scientists in attendance, will be available for sale nationwide starting Tuesday.

"With the release of these amazing stamps using thermochromic ink, we've provided an opportunity for people to experience their own personal solar eclipse every time they touch the stamps," Jim Cochrane, the postal service's chief customer and marketing officer, said in a statement.

A total eclipse of the sun happens when the moon completely blocks the visible solar disk from view and casts a shadow on Earth. The Aug. 21 event will have a 70-mile-wide "path of totality," traversing the country diagonally, starting at mid-morning in Oregon and ending 2,500 miles east and 90 minutes later off the coast of South Carolina during the mid-afternoon, local time.

This summer's eclipse could be viewed by tens of millions of people in the United States for the first time since 1979. An eclipse crossing the country hasn't been seen since 1918.