The sky on August 15, 2003 — as it really was

The day’s dossier, from real data

Checkable facts with a tag and a source; the classical reading is in the chart.

1. The Moon that day [EXACT]

   waning gibbous, 88% lit; the Moon was 394,632 km away.

   astronomy-engine
2. How far Earth has travelled since [EXACT]

   23.1 orbits of the Sun — 21,745 million km, that is 28,285 return trips to the Moon; 8,451 rotations of Earth; with the Sun — 167.9 billion km around the Galactic centre, 6.5 light-days.

   29.78 km/s along the orbit; 230 km/s around the Galactic centre
3. Mars then and now [EXACT]

   On that day Mars was 57 million km away; today it is 245 million km (farther by 4.3×).

   astronomy-engine; checked against JPL Horizons for 2026-09-14
4. Solar cycle [ESTIMATE]

   That day fell in solar cycle 23, near maximum (57% through the cycle).

   SILSO smoothed minima
5. When the sky repeats [EXACT]

   Mars returns to that day’s point of its orbit on January 27, 2028; Jupiter — in 2027; a full moon exactly on this date — August 14, 2038

   sidereal periods: Mars 686.98 d, Jupiter 11.862 yr
6. How far the sky has drifted since [EXACT]

   The vernal point has shifted 1,152″ since that day; the real constellations now sit 23.9° away from the astrologers’ “signs”.

   precession 50.29″/yr
7. Picture of the day [EXACT]

   NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day for this date: apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030815.html

   NASA APOD