The sky on
your birthday.
Ring Around the Galaxy
It's hard to hide one galaxy behind another. The gravity of a foreground galaxy acts like a huge lens, bending light from the background galaxy around it. In this VLT image, the red foreground galaxy distorts the green background galaxy into arcs. These arcs are more than just a visual trick, they help astronomers measure the mass of the lensing galaxy.
Heavy matte paper, about 200 gsm, printed in the United States and shipped free. The card stays free, the print is the thing you keep.
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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 23 December 2007 Details of Layers in Victoria Crater Cape St. Vincent See it as a poster -
Released on 23 December 2009 Wide-field view of Messier 30 (ground-based image) See it as a poster -
Released on 23 December 2020 A Bright Bar of Light See it as a poster -
Released on 23 December 2009 ACS image of Messier 30 See it as a poster -
Released on 23 December 2019 An Active Centre See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 23 DEC 1998 falls under Capricorn (♑). The sign's window runs from 12-22 through 01-19. Capricorn is the dimmest zodiac constellation, but rich in deep-sky objects south of the celestial equator. The Sun was crossing this region of the sky on 23 DEC 1998.
Questions about December 23, 1998
What space photo was released on December 23, 1998?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 23, 1998 was "Ring Around the Galaxy". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on December 23, 1998?
A waxing crescent moon, about 22% lit.
What day of the week was December 23, 1998?
December 23, 1998 was a Wednesday, day 357 of the 365 days in 1998.
Was there a meteor shower on December 23, 1998?
Yes: the Ursid shower, peaked yesterday.
Is it free?
Yes. Seeing, sharing and downloading the card is free, and there's no account to make.