The sky on
your birthday.
A Proton Aurora
Auroras are typically caused by electrons colliding with Earth's atmosphere, but protons can also create them. This image shows a proton aurora, a rarer phenomenon. These collisions with heavier protons also excite atmospheric gases, causing them to emit light, though often in different wavelengths than electron auroras.
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 17 December 2003 · Empty Quarter, Arabia See it as a poster -
Released on 17 December 2014 Wide-field view of the bright star clusters Messier 47 and Messier 46 See it as a poster -
Released on 17 December 2015 HH 24 (ground-based view) See it as a poster -
Released on 17 December 2013 Hubble image of variable star RS Puppis See it as a poster -
Released on 17 December 2012 The Needle Galaxy See it as a poster -
Released on 17 December 2014 The star cluster Messier 47 See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 17 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 17 DEC 2003.
Questions about December 17, 2003
What space photo was released on December 17, 2003?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 17, 2003 was "A Proton Aurora". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on December 17, 2003?
A last quarter moon, about 38% lit.
What day of the week was December 17, 2003?
December 17, 2003 was a Wednesday, day 351 of the 365 days in 2003.
Was there a meteor shower on December 17, 2003?
Yes: the Geminid shower, peaked 3 days ago.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on December 17, 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.