The sky on
your birthday.
The Whirlpool Galaxy in Infrared Dust
To understand how spiral galaxies form stars, the Hubble Space Telescope imaged the Whirlpool Galaxy, M51, in infrared light. This highlights the dust that traces dense gas, where stars form. Much of the optical light from stars was digitally removed to isolate the dust. The resulting image shows swirling patterns and numerous bright clumps of previously hidden open star clusters.
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 Sun on your day The Sun on 26 January 2011 See it as a poster -
The Earth on your day The Earth on 26 January 2011 · Lake Eyre, Australia See it as a poster -
Released on 26 January 2023 Active Galaxy NGC 1275 See it as a poster -
Released on 26 January 2021 The Republic of China's Dongsha Atoll National Park is pictured from the International Space Station as it orbited 261 See it as a poster -
Released on 26 January 2022 The semi-desert, southern coast of Iran on the Persian Gulf is pictured from the International Space Station as it See it as a poster -
Released on 26 January 2022 The city lights of Cairo and New Cairo City in Egypt are pictured during an orbital nightime pass See it as a poster -
Released on 26 January 2022 The city lights of Tabuk, a Saudi Arabian city near the border with Jordan, are pictured during an orbital nightime See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 26 JAN 2011 falls under Aquarius (♒). The sign's window runs from 01-20 through 02-18. Aquarius is home to the Helix Nebula, the closest planetary nebula to Earth. The Sun was crossing this region of the sky on 26 JAN 2011.
Questions about January 26, 2011
What space photo was released on January 26, 2011?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 26, 2011 was "The Whirlpool Galaxy in Infrared Dust". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on January 26, 2011?
A last quarter moon, about 56% lit.
What day of the week was January 26, 2011?
January 26, 2011 was a Wednesday, day 26 of the 365 days in 2011.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on January 26, 2011?
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory photographed the Sun that day, and NASA's Terra satellite photographed the whole Earth. Both are 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.