The sky on
your birthday.
“Retrograde Mars” is copyrighted by Tunc Tezel. NASA has permission to show it and we don't, so it isn't on this card.
See it on NASA's siteMars usually moves in one direction across our sky, but about every two years, it appears to move backwards. This phenomenon, called retrograde motion, happens when Earth passes Mars in their orbits around the Sun. This series of images shows Mars' apparent backward path.
The Earth on 16 December 2003 · Empty Quarter, Arabia
NASA Terra took this picture on 16 December 2003, the day itself, not a release date.
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 16 December 2003 · Empty Quarter, Arabia See it as a poster -
Released on 16 December 2024 Seeing eye to eye See it as a poster -
Released on 16 December 2004 A new view of the Helix Nebula See it as a poster -
Released on 16 December 2009 The star GJ1214 See it as a poster -
Released on 16 December 2008 NGC 2264 and the Christmas Tree cluster* See it as a poster -
Released on 16 December 2004 Helix Nebula: HST/CTIO Image See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 16 DEC 2003 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 16 DEC 2003.
Questions about December 16, 2003
What space photo was released on December 16, 2003?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 16, 2003 was "Retrograde Mars". 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 16, 2003?
A last quarter moon, about 49% lit.
What day of the week was December 16, 2003?
December 16, 2003 was a Tuesday, day 350 of the 365 days in 2003.
Was there a meteor shower on December 16, 2003?
Yes: the Geminid shower, peaked 2 days ago.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on December 16, 2003?
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.