The sky on
your birthday.
“The Butterfly Planetary Nebula” is copyrighted by J. H. Hora & W. B. Latter (U. Hawaii), 2.2-m Telescope, Mauna Kea. NASA has permission to show it and we don't, so it isn't on this card.
See it on NASA's siteAs stars age, they shed their outer layers, sometimes forming a highly symmetric planetary nebula like M2-9, also known as the Butterfly Nebula. Most planetary nebulae exhibit this bipolar appearance. An unusual characteristic of the Butterfly is that spots on its "wings" appear to have moved slightly over the years. This image was taken in three bands of infrared light and then shifted into the visible spectrum.
Arsia Mons Caldera
NASA released this picture on 10 November 1997. That is the day it was published, not the day it was taken.
We cannot put this date's photograph on paper at poster size. We can print the nearest public archive plate to your date instead.
Prints are coming soon. The card is free to save and share in the meantime.
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 21 October 2019 A Familiar Sight See it as a poster -
Released on 21 October 2013 Hubble snaps icy comet ISON See it as a poster -
Released on 21 October 2013 Saturn from Above See it as a poster -
Released on 21 October 2024 The French atoll of Bassas da India in the Mozambique Channel See it as a poster -
Released on 21 October 2024 Celestial cannonball See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 21 OCT 1997 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 21 OCT 1997.