The sky on
your birthday.
Strange Orange Soil on the Moon
In 1972, Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmidt discovered unusual orange soil near the Taurus-Littrow landing site on the Moon. Schmidt and Eugene Cernan collected samples of this soil for study back on Earth. The magnified sample shown here contains tiny particles less than 0.1 millimeter across. Scientists later determined this orange soil was volcanic glass beads, formed during explosive volcanic eruptions billions of years ago.
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 23 May 2001 · Red Sea See it as a poster -
Released on 23 May 2011 Hubble’s cepheid in the Andromeda Galaxy See it as a poster -
Released on 23 May 2026 Messier 2 See it as a poster -
Released on 23 May 2016 A galactic gathering See it as a poster -
Released on 23 May 2006 Hubble captures a "five-star" rated gravitational lens (ground-based image) See it as a poster -
Released on 23 May 2013 The region around the Ring Nebula (Hubble/LBT composite) See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 23 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 23 MAY 2001.
Questions about May 23, 2001
What space photo was released on May 23, 2001?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 23, 2001 was "Strange Orange Soil on the Moon". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on May 23, 2001?
A new moon, about 1% lit.
What day of the week was May 23, 2001?
May 23, 2001 was a Wednesday, day 143 of the 365 days in 2001.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on May 23, 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.