First Day of Issue: May 21,1981
First Day City: Kennedy Space Center, Florida,
launch site for space shuttle flights Stamp Designer: Robert McCall
Paradise Valley, Arizona
Since ancient times, man has both feared and been fascinated
by the sun, the subject of this U.S. commemorative stamp. Without understanding
why, he noted that the great glowing ball always rose in the east and set in
the west, supplied heat and light, and somehow made crops grow. Not
surprisingly, many civilizations have worshiped sun gods and made sacrifices to
them.
Over the centuries, we have learned the basic facts about this star that is the center of our solar system. For example, we now know that it is 93 million miles from Earth, that it is 865,000 miles in diameter (more than 100 times the size of our planet), and that its core temperature is 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. We have also been able to surmise that the sun came into being about 4.6 billion years ago and will probably continue to shine for another 5 to 6 billion years. When it dies, it will become a "white dwarf" for a few billion years and then one of the countless "black dwarfs" in the cosmos. At that point, there will no longer be life on Earth.
The conquest of space has
advanced our knowledge of the sun dramatically. The Orbiting Solar Observatory
launched in 1962 has permitted intensive study of the sun and solar phenomena
from a point above the disruptive effects of the atmosphere. The Solar Maximum
Mission spacecraft pictured on this stamp was launched in 1980 to coincide with
a period of enormously powerful solar eruptions. The data transmitted back to
Earth from this craft will help scientists gain new insights into how solar
energy works and how it can be applied to the betterment of life.
© Postal Commemorative Society
