The sky on
your birthday.
The Case of the Missing Aurora
Sometimes, near midnight, auroras suddenly stop. Nobody knows why. This nightside gap in aurora was recently confirmed by D. Chua and colleagues using data from the Ultraviolet Imager on the Polar spacecraft. The gap appears as a slight break in the auroral arc surrounding a magnetic pole. This picture shows clouds and auroras near Wildcat Mountain in Wisconsin.
We cannot put this date's photograph on paper at poster size. We can print the nearest public archive plate to your date instead.
See print sizesPrinted, shipped and sold by Zazzle
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 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 2025 4MOST first-light field-of-view 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
In tropical astrology, 21 OCT 1998 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 1998.
Questions about October 21, 1998
What space photo was released on October 21, 1998?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 21, 1998 was "The Case of the Missing Aurora". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on October 21, 1998?
A new moon, about 1% lit.
What day of the week was October 21, 1998?
October 21, 1998 was a Wednesday, day 294 of the 365 days in 1998.
Was there a meteor shower on October 21, 1998?
Yes: the Orionid shower, peak tonight.
Is it free?
Yes. Seeing, sharing and downloading the card is free, and there's no account to make.