The sky on
your birthday.
“Comet Wirtanen Passes by the Earth” is copyrighted by Ruslan Merzlyakov (RMS Photography). NASA has permission to show it and we don't, so it isn't on this card.
See it on NASA's siteComet Wirtanen passes by Earth today. This kilometer-sized dirty snowball orbits the Sun every 5.4 years, ranging as far out as Jupiter and as close in as Earth. Today, Comet 46P/Wirtanen passes within only 31 lunar distances to Earth, its closest approach in 70 years. You can see the comet through binoculars as an unusual blue smudge in Taurus.
The Sun on 16 December 2018
NASA SDO took this picture on 16 December 2018, 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 2018 See it as a poster -
The Earth on your day The Earth on 16 December 2018 · Lake Eyre, Australia 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 2018 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 2018.
Questions about December 16, 2018
What space photo was released on December 16, 2018?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 16, 2018 was "Comet Wirtanen Passes by the Earth". 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, 2018?
A first quarter moon, about 63% lit.
What day of the week was December 16, 2018?
December 16, 2018 was a Sunday, day 350 of the 365 days in 2018.
Was there a meteor shower on December 16, 2018?
Yes: the Geminid shower, peaked 2 days ago.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on December 16, 2018?
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.