The sky on
your birthday.
The Sun Today
Our Sun presents a different appearance each day. This image, taken on May 15 in red light, shows active regions known as plages to the right of center. The Sun was in a solar minimum at this time, with few active regions or sunspots. Solar activity was expected to increase over the next six years, leading to a solar maximum.
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 18 May 2015 Hubble revisits tangled NGC 6240 See it as a poster -
Released on 18 May 2026 Moon Venus Conjunction See it as a poster -
Released on 18 May 2018 A portion the Innamincka Regional Reserve, surrounded by the Strzlecki Desert, is seen in the northeast part See it as a poster -
Released on 18 May 2019 The full moon is pictured from the International Space Station as the orbiting complex orbited 263 miles See it as a poster -
Released on 18 May 2015 Stars setting See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 18 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 18 MAY 1996.
Questions about May 18, 1996
What space photo was released on May 18, 1996?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 18, 1996 was "The Sun Today". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on May 18, 1996?
A new moon, about 0% lit.
What day of the week was May 18, 1996?
May 18, 1996 was a Saturday, day 139 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.