The sky on
your birthday.
“The Tails of Comet Hyakutake” is copyrighted by Vic Winter, Courtesy ICSTARS. NASA has permission to show it and we don't, so it isn't on this card.
See it on NASA's siteComet Hyakutake's tails show distinct colors, as captured on April 18. The gold and red features are the dust tail, composed of rock and carbon bits reflecting sunlight. The blue ion tail, extending past the dust, consists of ionized water, carbon monoxide, and cyanogen, glowing as it emits light.
Galaxy NGC 1365
ESA/Hubble released this picture on 9 May 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.
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.
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Released on 2 May 2007 Multiple generations of stars in a globular cluster See it as a poster -
Released on 2 May 2007 Wide-field image of the NGC 2808 region (ground-based image) See it as a poster -
Released on 2 May 2016 Hubble spies NGC 4394 See it as a poster -
Released on 2 May 2019 Hubble’s Spectacular Wide View of the Universe See it as a poster -
Released on 2 May 2011 Breathing new life into an old cluster See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 2 MAY 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 2 MAY 1996.
Questions about May 2, 1996
What space photo was released on May 2, 1996?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 2, 1996 was "The Tails of Comet Hyakutake". 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 May 2, 1996?
A full moon, about 100% lit.
What day of the week was May 2, 1996?
May 2, 1996 was a Thursday, day 123 of the 366 days in 1996.
Was there a meteor shower on May 2, 1996?
Yes: the Eta Aquariid shower, peaks in 4 days.
Is it free?
Yes. Seeing, sharing and downloading the card is free, and there's no account to make.