See the Sun like never before! Science of the Sun Shines Bright With New Stamps Showcasing Stunning Images From NASA’s Spacecraft Live Shots

Get ready to see our Sun like never before! To celebrate the upcoming summer solstice, next week our Sun will take center stage nationwide on a new set of FOREVER STAMPS being released by the United States Postal Service. The stamps feature stunning images of the Sun captured by one of NASA’s premiere solar-observing telescopes.

Chat one-on-one with NASA experts on Friday, June 18 between 6:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EDT about what exactly is the summer solstice, what these new stamps are showing us about our closest star, and what it means that our Sun is ramping up activity.

Our eyes can only see a narrow spectrum of light from the Sun, but space-based observatories can view the Sun in a wide swath of wavelengths allowing us to see features and activity our eyes cannot. Thanks to NASA’s solar missions like the Solar Dynamics Observatory we can see the Sun in exquisite detail like huge Earth-sized loops of solar material and massive flares. And now you can too -- just never look directly at the Sun!

Our Sun is active and is always giving us reasons to watch it. Right now we’re at the start of a brand new solar cycle, meaning the Sun will slowly become more and more active over the course of the next several years.

DETAILS:

To Schedule an interview: Please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/XLvyaybr8ckjFzTu8
Please note: requests received after 12:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday, June 17th may not be accommodated.
Interviews will be conducted using video chat programs including Zoom and Skype, in 15-minute slots. For example 600-615 ET, 615-630 EDT, etc.
Our preferred program is Zoom and stations will have to send us a Zoom link to use.
Satellite interviews are not available. Please do not use an IFB unless necessary.
Spanish Interviews are available!

Not able to do an interview but still interested running a VO/VOSOT?…. We will post canned interviews in English and Spanish. Associated B-Roll and canned material will be posted here https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13870 by Thursday, June 17 at 4:00 p.m. EDT.

SUGGESTED ANCHOR INTRO:
The U.S. Postal service is releasing a new set of Forever Stamps today to celebrate the summer solstice, featuring images of the sun taken by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. The NASA solar-observing telescopes that produced these images allow us to examine our closest star in astonishing detail, as we’ve never seen it before. Here to tell us more about these new stellar stamps and our summer solstice is ___, of _____.

Suggested Questions:
This weekend is the summer solstice. What is a solstice?
The United States Postal Service just released stamps showcasing the Sun in wavelengths that we’re not used to seeing it in. Can you show us these images and tell us a little about what we’re seeing?
The summertime means warmer weather, does the Sun also have seasons?
How does all of this solar activity affect us on Earth?
Will the sun's activity ramping up impact moon and mars missions?
Where can we learn more?

Longer interview questions
What missions do we currently have studying the sun?
NASA has two new missions that are currently orbiting closer to the Sun than ever before. What happens if they get hit by extreme solar weather as solar activity ramps up?
There was a so-called “Ring of Fire” solar eclipse on June 10th that was visible at northern latitudes. When’s the next time North America will see an eclipse?
How does studying our Sun help us better understand other stars in the universe?