The sky on
your birthday.
“The California Nebula” is copyrighted by Farmakopoulos Antonis. NASA has permission to show it and we don't, so it isn't on this card.
See it on NASA's siteThe California Nebula, also known as NGC 1499, is an emission nebula about 100 light-years long. It drifts through the Orion Arm of the Milky Way galaxy, roughly 1,500 light-years from our Sun. Its most prominent glow is the red light from ionized hydrogen gas, which gives the nebula its distinctive color. The nebula's shape coincidentally echoes the outline of California on Earth.
The Sun on 12 January 2016
NASA SDO took this picture on 12 January 2016, 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 12 January 2016 See it as a poster -
The Earth on your day The Earth on 12 January 2016 · Sahara, Algeria See it as a poster -
Released on 12 January 2026 Wide-field view (DSS) of the area of the sky around the star RXJ0528+2838 See it as a poster -
Released on 12 January 2026 Wide-field view (PanSTARRS) of the area of the sky around the star RXJ0528+2838 See it as a poster -
Released on 12 January 2005 Hubble finds infant stars in neighbouring galaxy See it as a poster -
Released on 12 January 2021 A starry night sky and an aurora are pictured above Russia, in between Ukraine and Kazakhstan, as the International See it as a poster -
Released on 12 January 2021 A starry night sky and an aurora are pictured above Russia as the International Space Station orbited 264 miles See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 12 JAN 2016 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 12 JAN 2016.
Questions about January 12, 2016
What space photo was released on January 12, 2016?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 12, 2016 was "The California 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 12, 2016?
A waxing crescent moon, about 8% lit.
What day of the week was January 12, 2016?
January 12, 2016 was a Tuesday, day 12 of the 366 days in 2016.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on January 12, 2016?
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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