The sky on
your birthday.
NEAR to an Asteroid
NASA's Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous, or NEAR, spacecraft is preparing for launch, scheduled for February 16. NEAR's mission is to be the first spacecraft to orbit an asteroid, specifically 433 Eros. After reaching Eros in 1999, it will explore the asteroid for a year, possibly coming within 15 miles of its surface. For comparison, this image shows a limb of asteroid Ida.
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 15 February 2004 Digitized Sky Survey 2 wide-angle image of Abell 2218 (ground-based image) See it as a poster -
Released on 15 February 2004 A ground-based wide-angle image of Abell 2218 See it as a poster -
Released on 15 February 2023 Pandora’s Cluster (Abell 2744) See it as a poster -
Released on 15 February 2021 Tantrums of a Baby Star See it as a poster -
Released on 15 February 2022 The hot and arid desert geography of Semnan Province southeast of Tehran, Iran, is pictured from the International See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 15 FEB 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 15 FEB 1996.
Questions about February 15, 1996
What space photo was released on February 15, 1996?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for February 15, 1996 was "NEAR to an Asteroid". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on February 15, 1996?
A waning crescent moon, about 15% lit.
What day of the week was February 15, 1996?
February 15, 1996 was a Thursday, day 46 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.