Aurora borealis photo on stamp

A photo of the aurora borealis taken by Alaskan photographer Fred Hirschmann is part of the new souvenir sheet marking the International Polar Year, a yearlong scientific study of the Earth's polar regions.

Rindi White of the Anchorage Daily News reports Hirschmann's photo (shown above) is paired with a picture of the aurora australis, or southern-hemisphere aurora, taken by German photographer Per-Andre Hoffmann on another stamp. On the souvenir sheet, both stamps are on a background that depicts another Alaska photo, taken by Colin Tyler Bogucki of Minneapolis of the aurora borealis over Mount McKinley.

Hirschmann is quoted in the article as saying, "I think it's pretty special when you get something on a postage stamp. We don't do it for bragging rights or anything, but it is an honor."

To read the entire piece, click here.