The day you were born

A birthday gift. Their story, from day one.

Start with the day they arrived. We match a real galaxy to their birth date, time and place, then frame its photograph with your message. A personal piece for the home they've made since.

Create your gift

Framed prints from $290. See your proof before you order.

Framed Whirlpool artwork for the day you were born. Product visualisation. — Product visualisation. Your print carries your own galaxy and words.

01 / The day you were born

Two different questions

NASA's much-loved What Did Hubble See on Your Birthday? shows an image the Hubble Space Telescope captured on your birthday's calendar date, in some year, somewhere in the sky. It is a wonderful way to meet the universe, and it is free.

Galaxy Origins asks something more personal: what was directly overhead at the exact place and minute you were born? We compute that point, the zenith, from your date, time and birthplace, and find the real catalogued galaxy nearest to it that is still unassigned. That galaxy, photographed by a telescope, is what we frame for you.

Galaxy Origins is independent and not affiliated with NASA.

Framed Whirlpool artwork in a room, product visualisation — Product visualisation. Your print carries your own galaxy and words.

02 / The day you were born

Why the minute matters

Black wood frame and printed artwork detail — Product visualisation. Your print carries your own galaxy and words.

The sky turns about one degree every four minutes. Two babies born an hour apart in the same hospital have different galaxies above them. Your birth certificate usually records the time, which is all we need.

Datesets where Earth was in its orbit

Timeturns the sky to your exact minute

Placefixes the point straight above you

03 / The day you were born

A gift for a birth, or a birthday

For a new baby, it is a keepsake that begins on their first day. For a milestone birthday, a thirtieth, a fiftieth, an eightieth, it shows the light that was already on its way when they arrived, and has been travelling ever since.

A moment, made infinite.

Framed.
Ready to hang.

Example framed Whirlpool artwork in a room

Framed sizes / USD11 × 14″$29016 × 20″$49024 × 30″$79032 × 40″$1,290

Black wood. Fine art paper. Acrylic glazing.
Example artwork. Your galaxy and words are created in the studio.
Frame details / Photography and finishing

Create your gift

The day you were born

Questions

How is this different from NASA's Hubble birthday tool?

NASA shows a Hubble image taken on your birthday's calendar date, from any year and any part of the sky. We find the galaxy closest to the point directly overhead at your birthplace at your birth time.

What if I don't know my birth time?

Use your best guess, or noon. A different time can give a different galaxy, and every result is real.

Is the image a photograph?

Yes. It is a telescope photograph of that galaxy from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys or Pan-STARRS1, resolved and graded for print, with the credit printed on the artwork. It is not a photograph of the sky on your birth date.

Is it a good gift for a new baby?

Yes. Choose the moment of birth and add the baby's name and weight beneath the galaxy.