The sky on
your birthday.
The Incredible Expanding Crab
The Crab Nebula, also known as M1, is the remnant of a star that exploded in 1054. This animation, created from images taken 30 years apart, shows the nebula expanding. It is still growing at over a thousand kilometers per second. The Crab Nebula is about 10 light-years across today.
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 27 December 2001 · Eye of the Sahara, Mauritania See it as a poster -
Released on 27 December 2025 Apollo 17's Moonship See it as a poster -
Released on 27 December 2012 Curiosity Rover at Rocknest on Mars See it as a poster -
Released on 27 December 2021 Lonely Spiral See it as a poster -
Released on 27 December 2022 The snow-capped peaks of two different volcanoes on the island of Hawaii, Mauna Loa, an active volcano (bottom), See it as a poster -
Released on 27 December 2010 One Million Galaxies See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 27 DEC 2001 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 27 DEC 2001.
Questions about December 27, 2001
What space photo was released on December 27, 2001?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 27, 2001 was "The Incredible Expanding Crab". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on December 27, 2001?
A waxing gibbous moon, about 92% lit.
What day of the week was December 27, 2001?
December 27, 2001 was a Thursday, day 361 of the 365 days in 2001.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on December 27, 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.