The sky on
your birthday.
The Arms of NGC 7424
NGC 7424 is a spiral galaxy with prominent winding arms and a central bar, seen face-on about 40 million light-years away in Grus. It is about 100,000 light-years across, similar in size to our own Milky Way. Bright bluish clusters of massive young stars, hundreds of light-years in diameter, follow along its arms.
We cannot put this date's photograph on paper at poster size. We can print the nearest public archive plate to your date instead.
Prints are coming soon. The card is free to save and share in the meantime.
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 2004 · Colorado Plateau 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 2004 Helix Nebula: HST/CTIO Image See it as a poster -
Released on 16 December 2000 Caldera-like depression on Ganymede See it as a poster -
Released on 16 December 2004 Titan Mosaic: October 2004 See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 16 DEC 2004 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 2004.
Questions about December 16, 2004
What space photo was released on December 16, 2004?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 16, 2004 was "The Arms of NGC 7424". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on December 16, 2004?
A waxing crescent moon, about 20% lit.
What day of the week was December 16, 2004?
December 16, 2004 was a Thursday, day 351 of the 366 days in 2004.
Was there a meteor shower on December 16, 2004?
Yes: the Geminid shower, peaked 2 days ago.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on December 16, 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.