Even today, there are still special stamps, as Canada Post proved in March 2024. It took the total solar eclipse occurring on 8 April as its theme. On this day, it will be visible for the first and only time this century in parts of the three largest countries in North America – Mexico, the United States and Canada.
A solar eclipse or eclipse is an astronomical event in which the sun is partially or – in the case of a total solar eclipse – completely blocked by the moon as seen from certain areas of the earth. The spectacle lasts for about two hours, but reaches its peak in the few minutes of totality, when only the ghostly glow of the sun’s chromosphere and corona can be seen, framing a perfect silhouette of the moon.
On average, a total solar eclipse can only be expected over a particular location about once every 375 years. The last one in Germany was in August 1999, the next one will be in September 2081 – probably without me 😊. But now I have the Canadian stamp….
The solar eclipse stamp was created by designer Richard Nalli-Petta using a combination of photography and illustration. It was printed with a special spot gloss varnish that glows in black light – symbolising the coronavirus – and shows the solar eclipse against a darkened sky and . A thin silver line shows the path of the eclipse across Canada, and a collage at the bottom of the stamp highlights some of the landscapes it passes over – including Niagara Falls in Ontario and Spillars Cove in Newfoundland and Labrador. These locations are also listed in the stamp booklet along with the time of total solar eclipse at that location.
Philatelic information about the stamp:
- Country: Canada
- Date of issue: 2024-03-14
- Colours: multicoloured
- Designer: Richard Nalli-Petta
- Format: Commemorative stamp
- Perforation: Wavy punched
- Printing: Offset printing
- Gum coating: Self-adhesive
- Postal value: P º – No currency indication
- Circulation: 2,000,000
- Description: Value on day of issue: 0.92 Can$