The sky on
your birthday.
Neptune's Great Dark Spot: Gone But Not Forgotten
When Voyager 2 flew by Neptune in 1989, it revealed a dynamic and turbulent world, not the dormant planet astronomers expected. One of the most spectacular discoveries was the Great Dark Spot, shown here in close-up. It was comparable in size and southern latitude to Jupiter's Great Red Spot. This feature, however, was not present in later observations.
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 8 May 2006 Descent Panorama of Saturn's Titan See it as a poster -
Released on 8 May 2006 Victoria on Opportunity Horizon Orbital View See it as a poster -
Released on 8 May 2022 Spiral Galaxy NGC 1512: The Inner Rings See it as a poster -
Released on 8 May 2017 Close encounter See it as a poster -
Released on 8 May 2019 The waxing crescent moon is photographed just above Earth's limb and the bluish hue of the atmosphere at the beginning See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 8 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 8 MAY 1996.
Questions about May 8, 1996
What space photo was released on May 8, 1996?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 8, 1996 was "Neptune's Great Dark Spot: Gone But Not Forgotten". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on May 8, 1996?
A waning gibbous moon, about 71% lit.
What day of the week was May 8, 1996?
May 8, 1996 was a Wednesday, day 129 of the 366 days in 1996.
Was there a meteor shower on May 8, 1996?
Yes: the Eta Aquariid shower, peaked 2 days ago.
Is it free?
Yes. Seeing, sharing and downloading the card is free, and there's no account to make.