The sky on
your birthday.
“Edge-On Spiral Galaxy NGC 891” is copyrighted by J. C. Barentine (PSI) et al., KPNO, NOAO. NASA has permission to show it and we don't, so it isn't on this card.
See it on NASA's siteOur Milky Way galaxy is likely as thin as NGC 891, shown here edge-on. Spiral galaxies like these have most of their bright stars, gas, and dust concentrated in a narrow disk. The dark band across the middle is a lane of dust absorbing light. Some stars in NGC 891 appear to move faster than expected for a typical spiral.
Supernova at redshift z = 0.51
ESO released this picture on 15 December 1998. 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.
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 20 December 2001 The Eagle's EGGs * See it as a poster -
Released on 20 December 2017 Widefield image of the sky around π1 Gruis See it as a poster -
Released on 20 December 2023 Dwarf irregular galaxy UGC 8091 (wide-field view) See it as a poster -
Released on 20 December 2018 Galaxy Cluster MACSJ0416 See it as a poster -
Released on 20 December 2018 Intracluster light in Abell S1063 See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 20 DEC 1998 falls under Sagittarius (♐). The sign's window runs from 11-22 through 12-21. Sagittarius points straight at the center of the Milky Way, our galaxy's brightest region. The Sun was crossing this region of the sky on 20 DEC 1998.
Questions about December 20, 1998
What space photo was released on December 20, 1998?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 20, 1998 was "Edge-On Spiral Galaxy NGC 891". 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 December 20, 1998?
A new moon, about 3% lit.
What day of the week was December 20, 1998?
December 20, 1998 was a Sunday, day 354 of the 365 days in 1998.
Was there a meteor shower on December 20, 1998?
Yes: the Ursid shower, peaks in 2 days.
Is it free?
Yes. Seeing, sharing and downloading the card is free, and there's no account to make.