The sky on
your birthday.
SN 1006: Pieces of the Cosmic Ray Puzzle
Cosmic rays are high-energy subatomic particles, mostly protons and electrons, that constantly bombard Earth. Their origin has long been a mystery. This X-ray image of Supernova 1006 helps solve that puzzle, showing that supernova remnants are at least one source of these cosmic rays.
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 16 October 2012 The bright star Alpha Centauri and its surroundings See it as a poster -
Released on 16 October 2013 Wide-field view of the sky around the distant active galaxy PKS 1830-211 See it as a poster -
Released on 16 October 2007 I Zwicky 18 (ground-based image) See it as a poster -
Released on 16 October 2023 ‘S’ is for ‘Spiral’, ‘AB’ is for … ‘Weakly Barred’ See it as a poster -
Released on 16 October 2013 Wide-field view of the galaxy NGC1433 See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 16 OCT 1996 falls under Libra (♎). The sign's window runs from 09-23 through 10-22. Libra is the only zodiac constellation named for an inanimate object, the scales of judgment. The Sun was crossing this region of the sky on 16 OCT 1996.
Questions about October 16, 1996
What space photo was released on October 16, 1996?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 16, 1996 was "SN 1006: Pieces of the Cosmic Ray Puzzle". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on October 16, 1996?
A waxing crescent moon, about 17% lit.
What day of the week was October 16, 1996?
October 16, 1996 was a Wednesday, day 290 of the 366 days in 1996.
Was there a meteor shower on October 16, 1996?
Yes: the Orionid shower, peaks in 5 days.
Is it free?
Yes. Seeing, sharing and downloading the card is free, and there's no account to make.