The sky on
your birthday.
“Unraveling NGC 3169” is copyrighted by Simone Curzi. NASA has permission to show it and we don't, so it isn't on this card.
See it on NASA's siteSpiral galaxy NGC 3169, about 70 million light-years away, appears to be unraveling. Its spiral arms are being pulled into tidal tails as it interacts gravitationally with its neighbor, NGC 3166. These galaxies will eventually merge into one, a common fate for galaxies in the local universe. The drawn-out stellar arcs are clear signs of this ongoing interaction.
The Sun on 18 May 2026
NASA SDO took this picture on 18 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 18 May 2026 See it as a poster -
The Earth on your day The Earth on 18 May 2026 · Gobi Desert See it as a poster -
Released on 18 May 2015 Hubble revisits tangled NGC 6240 See it as a poster -
Released on 18 May 2026 Moon Venus Conjunction See it as a poster -
Released on 18 May 2019 The full moon is pictured from the International Space Station as the orbiting complex orbited 263 miles See it as a poster -
Released on 18 May 2018 A portion the Innamincka Regional Reserve, surrounded by the Strzlecki Desert, is seen in the northeast part See it as a poster -
Released on 18 May 2015 Stars setting See it as a poster
In tropical astrology, 18 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 18 MAY 2026.
Questions about May 18, 2026
What space photo was released on May 18, 2026?
NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 18, 2026 was "Unraveling NGC 3169". 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 18, 2026?
A new moon, about 3% lit.
What day of the week was May 18, 2026?
May 18, 2026 was a Monday, day 138 of the 365 days in 2026.
What did the Sun and the Earth look like on May 18, 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.