The sky on
your birthday.
“MWC 922: The Red Square Nebula” is copyrighted by Peter Tuthill (Sydney U.) & James Lloyd (Cornell). NASA has permission to show it and we don't, so it isn't on this card.
See it on NASA's siteThe Red Square Nebula, MWC 922, surrounds a hot star system with an unusual square shape. Scientists are not sure what causes this, but a leading theory suggests the central star or stars expelled cones of gas late in their development. This image combines infrared exposures from the Hale Telescope and the Keck-2 Telescope, revealing the mystery.
The Sun on 16 December 2012
NASA SDO took this picture on 16 December 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 16 December 2012 See it as a poster -
The Earth on your day The Earth on 16 December 2012 · Sahara, Algeria See it as a poster -
Released on 16 December 2024 Seeing eye to eye See it as a poster -
Released on 16 December 2004 A new view of the Helix Nebula See it as a poster -
Released on 16 December 2009 The star GJ1214 See it as a poster -
Released on 16 December 2008 NGC 2264 and the Christmas Tree cluster* See it as a poster -
Released on 16 December 2004 Helix Nebula: HST/CTIO Image See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 16 DEC 2012 falls under Sagittarius (♐). The sign's window runs from 11-22 through 12-21. Sagittarius points straight at the center of the Milky Way, our galaxy's brightest region. The Sun was crossing this region of the sky on 16 DEC 2012.
Questions about December 16, 2012
What space photo was released on December 16, 2012?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 16, 2012 was "MWC 922: The Red Square 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 December 16, 2012?
A waxing crescent moon, about 9% lit.
What day of the week was December 16, 2012?
December 16, 2012 was a Sunday, day 351 of the 366 days in 2012.
Was there a meteor shower on December 16, 2012?
Yes: the Geminid shower, peaked 2 days ago.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on December 16, 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.