This was
your sky.
NGC 1499: The California Nebula
The California Nebula, also known as NGC 1499, is a large emission nebula about 1,000 light-years from Earth in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way. Its outline coincidentally resembles the shape of the state of California. This classic nebula glows with the red light characteristic of hydrogen atoms recombining, stretching about 100 light-years across.
We cannot put this date's photograph on paper at poster size. We can print the nearest public archive plate to your date instead.
Prints are coming soon. The card is free to save and share in the meantime.
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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Released on 19 December 2019 Apollo 17's Moonship See it as a poster -
Released on 19 December 2024 Messier 2 See it as a poster -
Released on 19 December 2025 Dwarf stars in a glittering sky See it as a poster -
Released on 19 December 2025 Westerlund 2 (HST image) See it as a poster -
Released on 19 December 2012 The globular cluster NGC 6388, observed by Hubble See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 19 DEC 2023 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 19 DEC 2023.