The sky on
your birthday.
Mercury's Caloris Basin
Mercury's largest surface feature, the Caloris Basin, is over 1000 kilometers across. An asteroid impact formed this basin, visible as the large circular feature in the photograph. Similar to Mare Orientale on Earth's Moon, the Caloris Basin becomes extremely hot due to its proximity to the sub-solar point.
We cannot put this date's photograph on paper at poster size. We can print the nearest public archive plate to your date instead.
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Released on your day
Space pictures released on your month and day in other years, or a few days either side. Each one is sharp enough to print as a poster.
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Released on 20 January 2010 The Cat's Paw Nebula* See it as a poster -
Released on 20 January 2020 Caught “Pink-Handed” See it as a poster -
Released on 20 January 2026 The precious rings of space See it as a poster -
Released on 20 January 2026 Helix Nebula (NIRCam image) See it as a poster -
Released on 20 January 2010 Around the Cat's Paw Nebula See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 20 JAN 1996 falls under Aquarius (♒). The sign's window runs from 01-20 through 02-18. Aquarius is home to the Helix Nebula, the closest planetary nebula to Earth. The Sun was crossing this region of the sky on 20 JAN 1996.
Questions about January 20, 1996
What space photo was released on January 20, 1996?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 20, 1996 was "Mercury's Caloris Basin". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on January 20, 1996?
A new moon, about 0% lit.
What day of the week was January 20, 1996?
January 20, 1996 was a Saturday, day 20 of the 366 days in 1996.
Is it free?
Yes. Seeing, sharing and downloading the card is free, and there's no account to make.