The sky on
your birthday.
N159 and the Papillon Nebula
N159 is a star-forming region over 150 light-years across in the Large Magellanic Cloud, 170,000 light-years away. The Hubble Space Telescope captured bright newborn stars, dark dust, and glowing hydrogen gas. The small, dense cloud at the center, shaped like a butterfly, is called the Papillon Nebula.
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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 December 2003 · Sahara, Algeria See it as a poster -
Released on 21 December 2015 SN Refsdal: The First Predicted Supernova Image See it as a poster -
Released on 21 December 2006 Portrait of a dramatic stellar crib* See it as a poster -
Released on 21 December 2022 A Wreath of Star Formation in NGC 7469 See it as a poster -
Released on 21 December 2009 Star Cluster R136 Bursts Out See it as a poster -
Released on 21 December 2023 Webb spots a second lensed supernova in a distant galaxy See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 21 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 21 DEC 2003.
Questions about December 21, 2003
What space photo was released on December 21, 2003?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 21, 2003 was "N159 and the Papillon Nebula". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on December 21, 2003?
A waning crescent moon, about 6% lit.
What day of the week was December 21, 2003?
December 21, 2003 was a Sunday, day 355 of the 365 days in 2003.
Was there a meteor shower on December 21, 2003?
Yes: the Ursid shower, peaks tomorrow.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on December 21, 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.