The sky on
your birthday.
Another Comet LINEAR Breaks Up
Comet LINEAR C/2001 A2, first observed by the Lincoln Near Asteroid Research telescope, unexpectedly brightened in 2001. Its nucleus broke into two pieces, and then one of those fragments broke again. This image shows the first piece that broke off. Comets can be quite fragile as they approach the Sun.
We cannot put this date's photograph on paper at poster size. We can print the nearest public archive plate to your date instead.
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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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The Earth on your day The Earth on 21 May 2001 · Eye of the Sahara, Mauritania See it as a poster -
Released on 21 May 2025 Wide-field view of the region of the sky around a ‘cosmic joust’ See it as a poster -
Released on 21 May 2015 NGC 6240: Merging Galaxies See it as a poster -
Released on 21 May 2014 The colourful star cluster NGC 3590 See it as a poster -
Released on 21 May 2025 City lights dot the southern United States' landscape See it as a poster -
Released on 21 May 2016 The familiar "boot" shape of the county of Italy stands out in this nighttime image with sparkling city lights reaching See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 21 MAY 2001 falls under Gemini (♊). The sign's window runs from 05-21 through 06-20. Gemini is named for the twin stars Castor and Pollux, both bright enough to spot without a telescope. The Sun was crossing this region of the sky on 21 MAY 2001.
Questions about May 21, 2001
What space photo was released on May 21, 2001?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 21, 2001 was "Another Comet LINEAR Breaks Up". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on May 21, 2001?
A new moon, about 2% lit.
What day of the week was May 21, 2001?
May 21, 2001 was a Monday, day 141 of the 365 days in 2001.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on May 21, 2001?
NASA's Terra satellite photographed the whole Earth that day. It's on this page, next to the card.
Is it free?
Yes. Seeing, sharing and downloading the card is free, and there's no account to make.