Every day for more than 30 years, NASA’s iconic Hubble Space Telescope has plumbed the cosmos to unveil secrets and wonders lurking in every corner of the universe.
If you’re not a professional or amateur astronomer, keeping up with the vast amount of breathtaking astral imagery the observatory has returned to Earth can be a challenge. But maybe it’d be easier – and a little more personal – to find photos Hubble has snapped on your birthday.
Lucky for you, NASA has a website that makes finding those special celestial images very easy.
Here’s how to find what photos the Hubble Space Telescope took on your birthday.
What is the Hubble Space Telescope?
The Hubble Space Telescope reached a milestone in April 2025, when it marked its 35th year of operations since launching in 1990 on the space shuttle Discovery from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
In its time orbiting Earth, Hubble has shaped our understanding of the universe by observing the atmospheric composition of planets around other stars and even discovering dark energy – a mysterious force that causes the universe to expand.
The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope in 2021 has allowed scientists to combine observations from both observatories “to push opportunities for discovery further,” NASA said.
Now, the agency is on the cusp of the launch of its next cutting-edge space telescope: the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, due to launch as early as fall 2026.
Here’s how to see what photo Hubble took on your birthday
Because the Hubble Space Telescope is constantly scanning and imaging the cosmos, the observatory has been able to observe fascinating wonders every day for the past three decades.
Want to see what Hubble glimpsed on your birthday?
This NASA website allows you to enter your birth month and date to find out.
The search result displays not only the image, but a brief description of what you’re seeing. Users can even enlarge the image or see more information about it.
Hubble pictures: Explore images from space telescope
Want more Hubble imagery?
This NASA webpage allows you to search through a massive trove of photos Hubble has captured over the years of the cosmos or view a variety of galleries by topics, like star clusters and galaxies. Even more images are available to peruse on NASA’s Flickr page.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: How to find the Hubble Space Telescope photo taken on your birthday
Reporting by Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
