The sky on
your birthday.
The Changing Surface of Fading Betelgeuse
Betelgeuse, the famous red supergiant in Orion, is changing its appearance. Telescopes on Earth can resolve its surface, though just barely. These two images from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope show how the star's surface changed over a year. The earlier image shows a more uniform brightness than the later one.
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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 February 2020 See it as a poster -
The Earth on your day The Earth on 17 February 2020 · Himalaya and Tibet See it as a poster -
Released on 17 February 2010 Our Neighbor Andromeda See it as a poster -
Released on 17 February 2010 Fornax Galaxy Cluster See it as a poster -
Released on 17 February 2005 Titan Mosaic - Feb 2005 See it as a poster -
Released on 17 February 2004 Track-and-Trench 2 See it as a poster -
Released on 17 February 2010 The Fornax dwarf galaxy See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 17 FEB 2020 falls under Aquarius (♒). The sign's window runs from 01-20 through 02-18. Aquarius is home to the Helix Nebula, the closest planetary nebula to Earth. The Sun was crossing this region of the sky on 17 FEB 2020.
Questions about February 17, 2020
What space photo was released on February 17, 2020?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for February 17, 2020 was "The Changing Surface of Fading Betelgeuse". It's the card at the top of this page.
What was the Moon's phase on February 17, 2020?
A last quarter moon, about 39% lit.
What day of the week was February 17, 2020?
February 17, 2020 was a Monday, day 48 of the 366 days in 2020.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on February 17, 2020?
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.