The sky on
your birthday.
IC 418: The Spirograph Nebula
What creates the strange texture of IC 418? Dubbed the Spirograph Nebula for its resemblance to drawings from a cyclical drawing tool, planetary nebula IC 418 shows patterns that are not well understood. Perhaps they are related to chaotic winds from the variable central star, which changes brightness unpredictably in just a few hours. Only a few thousand years ago, this star was a red giant, and in a few thousand years more, it will fade to a white dwarf.
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 October 2004 · Sahara, Algeria See it as a poster -
Released on 17 October 2005 Dione in Full View See it as a poster -
Released on 17 October 2008 The Mimas Atlas See it as a poster -
Released on 17 October 2006 Colliding galaxies make love, not war See it as a poster -
Released on 17 October 2006 Wide view of the Antennae galaxies (ground-based image) See it as a poster -
Released on 17 October 2010 NGC 346 in the Small Magellanic Cloud See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 17 OCT 2004 falls under Libra (♎). The sign's window runs from 09-23 through 10-22. Libra is the only zodiac constellation named for an inanimate object, the scales of judgment. The Sun was crossing this region of the sky on 17 OCT 2004.
Questions about October 17, 2004
What space photo was released on October 17, 2004?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 17, 2004 was "IC 418: The Spirograph Nebula". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on October 17, 2004?
A waxing crescent moon, about 13% lit.
What day of the week was October 17, 2004?
October 17, 2004 was a Sunday, day 291 of the 366 days in 2004.
Was there a meteor shower on October 17, 2004?
Yes: the Orionid shower, peaks in 4 days.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on October 17, 2004?
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.