The new USPS 'snow moon' international stamp is just as nerdy as we hoped it'd be
The stamp, which the USPS released Monday, features a photograph taken by Beth Swanson of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Each one will cost $1.20 and get a one-ounce letter to any country in the world, just as long as First-Class Mail International service is available there.
This is a fitting image, considering the moon is visible from, you know, all across the globe.
And if you're wondering why it's called a "snow moon," it doesn't have anything to do with the temperature up there (although the moon does get super cold). It's actually related to the temperature here on Earth.
Each full moon name dates back to the early Native Americans, when they named full moons to keep track of time. They named February's full moon "snow moon" because, well, the month tends to get super snowy.
A full moon happens roughly once a month, when the moon, Earth, and the sun are fully aligned - with Earth in between. This fully illuminates the moon's surface, allowing its entire face to be visible from our planet.
More space stamps on the way
If you're worried that this will be the only new USPS postage to nerd out over science, don't.
In December 2015, they announced that they will be gearing up to honor NASA's historic flyby of Pluto with a new set of postage stamps, among a flotilla of other space-themed postage.
The stamps revisit a series release in the early 1990s. Back then, the USPS issued a set of stamps commemorating the planets in our solar system and the year we visited them. Pluto was the only stamp labeled "not yet explored."
That changed when NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past Pluto in July, 2015. Even though Pluto isn't classified as a planet anymore, the USPS has designed a stamp declaring it "Explored!"
"Since the early 1990s the old, 'Pluto Not Explored' stamp served as a rallying cry for many who wanted to mount this historic mission of space exploration," New Horizons lead scientists Alan Stern said in a press release. "Now that NASA's New Horizons has accomplished that goal, it's a wonderful feeling to see these new stamps join others commemorating first explorations of the planets."
The stamps will be dedicated between May and June at the World Stamp Show in New York, after which they'll be ready for purchase, according to the USPS.
The USPS will also dedicate a series with updated images of all the planets in our solar system. The full planet discs are shown in enhanced color:
And in one more win for nerds, USPS will also honor the 50th anniversary of the premiere of the TV show "Star Trek" with a set of stamps.
The stamps seem especially fitting since Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played the iconic role of Spock in the series, died in 2015.
You don't even have to be a "Trekkie" to appreciate them (though it helps if you are):
There's no word yet on exactly when the "Star Trek" stamps will go on sale, but the design suggests it will be sometime next year. Luckily, you can buy the new moon stamps starting today.
Kelly Dickerson contributed to this post.