The sky on
your birthday.
“Lalande 21185: The Nearest Planetary System?” is copyrighted by John Whatmough, Extrasolar Visions. NASA has permission to show it and we don't, so it isn't on this card.
See it on NASA's siteLalande 21185 is a dim red dwarf star, just 8 light-years away. It might host the closest extrasolar planetary system to us. Its planets have not been directly imaged, but their presence is inferred. Scientists track the star's tiny wobbles, caused by the gravitational pull of orbiting planets, over long periods of observation.
Jupiter's Aurora
ESA/Hubble released this picture on 17 October 1996. That is the day it was published, not the day it was taken.
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 19 October 2011 Wide-field view of the newly discovered globular cluster VVV CL001 See it as a poster -
Released on 19 October 2020 Galactic Waterspout See it as a poster -
Released on 19 October 2021 Moonrise Over Washington See it as a poster -
Released on 19 October 2021 A wispy aurora, intersecting with Earth's airglow, is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 274 See it as a poster -
Released on 19 October 2023 The southern portion of the Sonoran Desert in Mexico is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 257 See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 19 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 19 OCT 1996.
Questions about October 19, 1996
What space photo was released on October 19, 1996?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 19, 1996 was "Lalande 21185: The Nearest Planetary System?". 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 October 19, 1996?
A first quarter moon, about 46% lit.
What day of the week was October 19, 1996?
October 19, 1996 was a Saturday, day 293 of the 366 days in 1996.
Was there a meteor shower on October 19, 1996?
Yes: the Orionid shower, peaks in 2 days.
Is it free?
Yes. Seeing, sharing and downloading the card is free, and there's no account to make.