The sky on
your birthday.
IRTF: Scanning the Infrared Skies
NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility, or IRTF, sits atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii. This 3-meter telescope is a premier instrument for observing in near-infrared light. Established in 1979, it spends about half its time studying objects within our solar system. For example, in 1994, the IRTF recorded pieces of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 plunging into Jupiter, and in 1995, it observed an outburst from a volcano on Jupiter's moon Io.
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 4 September 2003 Full ACS Image of NGC 3370 See it as a poster -
Released on 4 September 2024 MACS J0417.5-1154 Wide Field (NIRCam) See it as a poster -
Released on 4 September 2003 Celestial composition See it as a poster -
Released on 4 September 2025 Pismis 24 (NIRCam image) See it as a poster -
Released on 4 September 2022 Hurricane Danielle is pictured near the Earth's horizon from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 miles See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 4 SEP 1996 falls under Virgo (♍). The sign's window runs from 08-23 through 09-22. Virgo is the largest zodiac constellation, holding the heart of the Virgo galaxy cluster. The Sun was crossing this region of the sky on 4 SEP 1996.
Questions about September 4, 1996
What space photo was released on September 4, 1996?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for September 4, 1996 was "IRTF: Scanning the Infrared Skies". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on September 4, 1996?
A last quarter moon, about 62% lit.
What day of the week was September 4, 1996?
September 4, 1996 was a Wednesday, day 248 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.