The sky on
your birthday.
“Tails of Comet Garradd” is copyrighted by Gregg Ruppel. NASA has permission to show it and we don't, so it isn't on this card.
See it on NASA's siteComet Garradd, also known as C/2009 P1, shines in Earth's evening skies. This telescopic image from October 15 reveals its lovely green coma and multiple tails. The comet lingers against a background of faint stars within the southern boundaries of Hercules. Garradd is currently about 16 light-minutes from us.
The Sun on 20 October 2011
NASA SDO took this picture on 20 October 2011, 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 Sun on your day The Sun on 20 October 2011 See it as a poster -
The Earth on your day The Earth on 20 October 2011 · Gobi Desert See it as a poster -
Released on 20 October 2025 NGC 3370 (wide view) See it as a poster -
Released on 20 October 2025 Focusing on NGC 3370 See it as a poster -
Released on 20 October 2019 Pluto at Night See it as a poster -
Released on 20 October 2024 The Niger River flows through the African nation of Mali See it as a poster -
Released on 20 October 2025 Comet Lemmon appears approximately 55.4 million miles from Earth See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 20 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 20 OCT 2011.
Questions about October 20, 2011
What space photo was released on October 20, 2011?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 20, 2011 was "Tails of Comet Garradd". 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 October 20, 2011?
A last quarter moon, about 43% lit.
What day of the week was October 20, 2011?
October 20, 2011 was a Thursday, day 293 of the 365 days in 2011.
Was there a meteor shower on October 20, 2011?
Yes: the Orionid shower, peaks tomorrow.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on October 20, 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.