How To Find The Picture NASA Took On Your Birthday
Find out what the Hubble Space Telescope saw the day you were born!
Getty It’s always fun to find the things that define your birthday. Whether it’s your zodiac sign, the top song on the Billboard charts, or the #1 movie, it’s always interesting to see how things were the day you were born.
Now you can add a NASA astronomy picture of the day (APOD) to your list.
A new trend on TikTok has people sharing the picture the Hubble Space Telescope took on their birthday.
The Hubble, which launched in 1990 and has been roaming in space ever since, “explores the universe 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” taking photos every day on its journey, according to NASA.
Beginning in 1995, NASA has chosen a daily photo taken from the Hubble Space Telescope as their Astronomy Picture of the Day. Each image is archived on NASA’s website along with a description of the image written by an astronomer.
And in 2021, they launched a website that allows anyone to search for the APOD selected on their birthday (or any other day you find significant).
How to See What Photo NASA Saw on Your Birthday
To find your NASA picture of the day for your birthday or if you were born before , you simply go to the NASA APOD calendar archive. There are a few ways you can get there.
How To Use The Astronomy Picture Of The Day Calendar to Find the Picture NASA Took On Your Birthday
1. Do a Google search for "NASA calendar."
2. Click on the search result that takes you to the Astronomy Picture of the Day Calendar.
3. Find your birth year in the table and click on the month your birthday falls in.
4. Count the days to find your birthday and click on the image to see it and read all about it.
How to Use NASA's "What Did Hubble See on Your Birthday?" Tool
1. Simply go directly to the tool NASA developed to make finding the picture they took on your birthday.
2. Select the month and day of your birthday and click on "submit."
3. This tool does not allow you to specify your year of birth, so you will be shown the image of the day for your birthday on a random year the system selects for you.
Unfortunately, as mentioned above, photos have only archived since June 16, 1995.
So if you’re any older than about 26, you’ll have to settle for looking at pictures taken on your birthday and not your actual date of birth.
Of course, it’s also fun to look up your kids’ and friends’ birthdays, anniversaries, and other special dates.
Have fun!
Micki Spollen is an editor, writer, and traveler. Follow her on Instagram and keep up with her travels on her website.