The sky on
your birthday.
“Comet Hyakutake's Closest Approach” is copyrighted by Herman Mikuz, Crni Vrh Observatory, Slovenia. NASA has permission to show it and we don't, so it isn't on this card.
See it on NASA's siteComet Hyakutake, shown in this true-color image, made its closest approach to Earth on March 24, 1996. It came within 10 million miles, passing over the Northern Hemisphere. From dark skies, its tail spanned about 20 degrees, which is 40 times the apparent diameter of the full moon. This corresponds to over 3 million miles in length.
The near-nucleus region of comet Hale-Bopp
ESO released this picture on 22 March 1996. That is the day it was published, not the day it was taken.
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 24 March 2009 Martian Dunes and the Shadow of Opportunity See it as a poster -
Released on 24 March 2026 Wide-field view of the area around the WISPIT 2 star See it as a poster -
Released on 24 March 2018 NGC 602 and Beyond See it as a poster -
Released on 24 March 2025 A chance alignment in Lupus See it as a poster -
Released on 24 March 2021 A view of the M87 supermassive black hole in polarised light See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 24 MAR 1996 falls under Aries (♈). The sign's window runs from 03-21 through 04-19. Aries is the constellation traditionally tied to spring's arrival in the northern hemisphere. The Sun was crossing this region of the sky on 24 MAR 1996.
Questions about March 24, 1996
What space photo was released on March 24, 1996?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for March 24, 1996 was "Comet Hyakutake's Closest Approach". It's a photographer's copyrighted image, so we link to it on NASA's site and show the Sun or the Earth that day instead.
What was the Moon's phase on March 24, 1996?
A waxing crescent moon, about 23% lit.
What day of the week was March 24, 1996?
March 24, 1996 was a Sunday, day 84 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.