The sky on
your birthday.
Mercury as Revealed by MESSENGER
The MESSENGER spacecraft flew past Mercury for the second time, capturing images of terrain previously mapped only by radar. This image was taken 90 minutes after the flyby, from an altitude of about 27,000 kilometers. It reveals features on Mercury that had never been seen in such detail before. Mercury has been known since ancient times, but parts of it remained unmapped.
Heavy matte paper, about 200 gsm, printed in the United States and shipped free. The card stays free, the print is the thing you keep.
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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 8 October 2008 · Eye of the Sahara, Mauritania See it as a poster -
Released on 8 October 2017 Dark Molecular Cloud Barnard 68 See it as a poster -
Released on 8 October 2026 FRB 20240304B (NIRCam clean image) See it as a poster -
Released on 8 October 2019 The Sun's glint beams off Lake Michigan in this southward view taken from the International Space Station orbiting 253 See it as a poster -
Released on 8 October 2020 Earth Observations See it as a poster -
Released on 8 October 2024 Hurricane Milton is pictured in the Gulf of Mexico See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 8 OCT 2008 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 8 OCT 2008.
Questions about October 8, 2008
What space photo was released on October 8, 2008?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 8, 2008 was "Mercury as Revealed by MESSENGER". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on October 8, 2008?
A first quarter moon, about 61% lit.
What day of the week was October 8, 2008?
October 8, 2008 was a Wednesday, day 282 of the 366 days in 2008.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on October 8, 2008?
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.