The sky on
your birthday.
“Analemma Over the Porch of Maidens” is copyrighted by Anthony Ayiomamitis. NASA has permission to show it and we don't, so it isn't on this card.
See it on NASA's siteIf you photograph the Sun at the same time each day for a year, it traces a figure-eight shape in the sky called an analemma. This apparent shift is due to Earth's orbit around the Sun and the tilt of our planet's rotation axis. The Sun appears at its highest point in the analemma during summer and its lowest during winter.
The Earth on 21 December 2008 · Sahara, Algeria
NASA Terra took this picture on 21 December 2008, the day itself, not a release date.
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 21 December 2008 · 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 2008 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 2008.
Questions about December 21, 2008
What space photo was released on December 21, 2008?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 21, 2008 was "Analemma Over the Porch of Maidens". It's a photographer's copyrighted image, so we link to it on NASA's site and show the Sun or the Earth that day instead.
What was the Moon's phase on December 21, 2008?
A last quarter moon, about 37% lit.
What day of the week was December 21, 2008?
December 21, 2008 was a Sunday, day 356 of the 366 days in 2008.
Was there a meteor shower on December 21, 2008?
Yes: the Ursid shower, peaks tomorrow.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on December 21, 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.