The sky on
your birthday.
“IC 2118: The Witch Head Nebula” is copyrighted by Gimmi Ratto & Davide Bardini (Collecting Photons). NASA has permission to show it and we don't, so it isn't on this card.
See it on NASA's siteThe Witch Head Nebula, also known as IC 2118, is a reflection nebula that glows from the light of the bright star Rigel, just out of frame. Fine dust in the nebula reflects Rigel's blue light, giving the nebula its distinctive color and shape. It sits near Orion, about 800 light-years away.
The Sun on 17 January 2012
NASA SDO took this picture on 17 January 2012, 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 17 January 2012 See it as a poster -
The Earth on your day The Earth on 17 January 2012 · Red Sea See it as a poster -
Released on 17 January 2017 Full disk of the Sun See it as a poster -
Released on 17 January 2017 ALMA observes the Sun See it as a poster -
Released on 17 January 2013 Overview of the Large Magellanic Cloud (ground-based image) See it as a poster -
Released on 17 January 2018 Wide-field image of the sky around the globular star cluster NGC 3201 See it as a poster -
Released on 17 January 2025 Supernova Remnant Cassiopeia A See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 17 JAN 2012 falls under Capricorn (♑). The sign's window runs from 12-22 through 01-19. Capricorn is the dimmest zodiac constellation, but rich in deep-sky objects south of the celestial equator. The Sun was crossing this region of the sky on 17 JAN 2012.
Questions about January 17, 2012
What space photo was released on January 17, 2012?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 17, 2012 was "IC 2118: The Witch Head Nebula". 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 January 17, 2012?
A last quarter moon, about 39% lit.
What day of the week was January 17, 2012?
January 17, 2012 was a Tuesday, day 17 of the 366 days in 2012.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on January 17, 2012?
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.
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