The sky on
your birthday.
A Supernova in the Whirlpool
In 1994, amateur astronomers spotted a new star, a supernova, in the Whirlpool Galaxy, M51. This event, labeled 1994I, appears as a bright spot near the galaxy's nucleus in this Hubble Space Telescope image. Supernovae are violent stellar death explosions that eject radioactive debris clouds.
We cannot put this date's photograph on paper at poster size. We can print the nearest public archive plate to your date instead.
See print sizesPrinted, shipped and sold by Zazzle
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.
-
Released on 21 April 2010 VISTA’s infrared view of the Cat’s Paw Nebula* See it as a poster -
Released on 21 April 2010 Highlights from VISTA’s infrared view of the Cat’s Paw Nebula See it as a poster -
Released on 21 April 2025 A glittering cluster shines again See it as a poster -
Released on 21 April 2016 The Bubble Nebula See it as a poster -
Released on 21 April 2016 Wide-field image of the Bubble Nebula (ground-based image) See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 21 APR 1996 falls under Taurus (♉). The sign's window runs from 04-20 through 05-20. Taurus holds the Pleiades star cluster and Aldebaran, the red giant that marks the eye of the Bull. The Sun was crossing this region of the sky on 21 APR 1996.
Questions about April 21, 1996
What space photo was released on April 21, 1996?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for April 21, 1996 was "A Supernova in the Whirlpool". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on April 21, 1996?
A waxing crescent moon, about 11% lit.
What day of the week was April 21, 1996?
April 21, 1996 was a Sunday, day 112 of the 366 days in 1996.
Was there a meteor shower on April 21, 1996?
Yes: the Lyrid shower, peaks tomorrow.
Is it free?
Yes. Seeing, sharing and downloading the card is free, and there's no account to make.