The sky on
your birthday.
“The Long Night Moon” is copyrighted by Giorgia Hofer. NASA has permission to show it and we don't, so it isn't on this card.
See it on NASA's siteOn December 15, the Full Moon was bright, known as the Cold Moon or Long Night Moon. It was the closest Full Moon to the northern winter solstice and the last Full Moon of 2024. This Full Moon was also at a major lunar standstill. A major lunar standstill is an extreme in the monthly north-south range of moonrise and moonset, caused by the precession of the Moon's orbit over an 18.6-year cycle. As a result, the full lunar phase was near the Moon's northernmost moonrise.
The Sun on 20 December 2024
NASA SDO took this picture on 20 December 2024, 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.
See print sizesPrinted, shipped and sold by Zazzle
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 20 December 2024 See it as a poster -
The Earth on your day The Earth on 20 December 2024 · Eye of the Sahara, Mauritania See it as a poster -
Released on 20 December 2001 The Eagle's EGGs * See it as a poster -
Released on 20 December 2017 Widefield image of the sky around π1 Gruis See it as a poster -
Released on 20 December 2023 Dwarf irregular galaxy UGC 8091 (wide-field view) See it as a poster -
Released on 20 December 2018 Galaxy Cluster MACSJ0416 See it as a poster -
Released on 20 December 2018 Intracluster light in Abell S1063 See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 20 DEC 2024 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 20 DEC 2024.
Questions about December 20, 2024
What space photo was released on December 20, 2024?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 20, 2024 was "The Long Night Moon". 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 20, 2024?
A waning gibbous moon, about 78% lit.
What day of the week was December 20, 2024?
December 20, 2024 was a Friday, day 355 of the 366 days in 2024.
Was there a meteor shower on December 20, 2024?
Yes: the Ursid shower, peaks in 2 days.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on December 20, 2024?
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.