The sky on
your birthday.
MESSENGER's First Day
MESSENGER, the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging spacecraft, completed its first solar day in orbit around Mercury. During this time, it imaged nearly the entire surface of the innermost planet. This allowed scientists to create a global monochrome map and a color map of Mercury's surface.
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 Sun on your day The Sun on 8 October 2011 See it as a poster -
The Earth on your day The Earth on 8 October 2011 · Great Lakes 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 2011 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 2011.
Questions about October 8, 2011
What space photo was released on October 8, 2011?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 8, 2011 was "MESSENGER's First Day". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on October 8, 2011?
A waxing gibbous moon, about 83% lit.
What day of the week was October 8, 2011?
October 8, 2011 was a Saturday, day 281 of the 365 days in 2011.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on October 8, 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.