The sky on
your birthday.
“The Horsehead Nebula” is copyrighted by Nigel Sharp. NASA has permission to show it and we don't, so it isn't on this card.
See it on NASA's siteThe Horsehead Nebula, Barnard 33, is a dark, molecular cloud in Orion. Its unusual shape was first seen on a photographic plate in the late 1800s. The nebula's darkness comes from thick dust, while the red glow behind it is hydrogen gas ionized by the nearby bright star Sigma Orionis.
The Sun on 21 October 2012
NASA SDO took this picture on 21 October 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 21 October 2012 See it as a poster -
The Earth on your day The Earth on 21 October 2012 · Caspian Sea See it as a poster -
Released on 21 October 2019 A Familiar Sight See it as a poster -
Released on 21 October 2013 Hubble snaps icy comet ISON See it as a poster -
Released on 21 October 2013 Saturn from Above See it as a poster -
Released on 21 October 2025 4MOST first-light field-of-view See it as a poster -
Released on 21 October 2024 The French atoll of Bassas da India in the Mozambique Channel See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 21 OCT 2012 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 21 OCT 2012.
Questions about October 21, 2012
What space photo was released on October 21, 2012?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 21, 2012 was "The Horsehead 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 October 21, 2012?
A first quarter moon, about 35% lit.
What day of the week was October 21, 2012?
October 21, 2012 was a Sunday, day 295 of the 366 days in 2012.
Was there a meteor shower on October 21, 2012?
Yes: the Orionid shower, peak tonight.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on October 21, 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.