The sky on
your birthday.
“The Conjunction of Comet R3 PanSTARRS and the Orion Nebula” is copyrighted by Julien De Winter, Sascha Ebeler Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II). NASA has permission to show it and we don't, so it isn't on this card.
See it on NASA's siteThis composite image features Comet R3 PanSTARRS, streaking across the right, with the Orion Nebula on the left. The comet likely originated from the Oort Cloud, a relic from the early Solar System. Its bright ion tail glows blue as gas from its core is ionized by sunlight.
The Sun on 12 May 2026
NASA SDO took this picture on 12 May 2026, 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 May 2026 See it as a poster -
The Earth on your day The Earth on 12 May 2026 · Pilbara, Western Australia See it as a poster -
Released on 12 May 2010 M72: A Globular Cluster of Stars See it as a poster -
Released on 12 May 2004 Spirit Keeps on Trekking polar eye See it as a poster -
Released on 12 May 2004 Spirit Keeps on Trekking vertical eye See it as a poster -
Released on 12 May 2022 First image of our black hole See it as a poster -
Released on 12 May 2025 Capturing candyfloss clouds See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 12 MAY 2026 falls under Taurus (♉). The sign's window runs from 04-20 through 05-20. Taurus holds the Pleiades star cluster and Aldebaran, the red giant that marks the eye of the Bull. The Sun was crossing this region of the sky on 12 MAY 2026.
Questions about May 12, 2026
What space photo was released on May 12, 2026?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 12, 2026 was "The Conjunction of Comet R3 PanSTARRS and the Orion 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 May 12, 2026?
A waning crescent moon, about 19% lit.
What day of the week was May 12, 2026?
May 12, 2026 was a Tuesday, day 132 of the 365 days in 2026.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on May 12, 2026?
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.