Starship Asterisk*

A version of the 2017 APOD Calendar is now available for download. This version is a "NASA-images only" version as it contains only uncopyrighted images from NASA. Here are the links, the first to a PDF version and the second to the Powerpoint version:

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/fap/APODcalen ... NASAv5.pdf
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/fap/APODcalen ... ASAv5.pptx

Want a printed version? It turns out that is a whole can of worms because it enters APOD into the commercial world of potentially costly printing services. But you can print it out yourself! A leading possibility is to use your local color printer. To get the whole calendar printed professionally, you can use, well, a professional printing service. APOD and NASA have no affiliation with commercial print services and the ones that are listed below are provided as examples and not endorsements. Some of these print services seem to promise that after a maze of choices, you upload the PDF and payment method and then they mail you a printed color calendar. We don't know the quality, and we at APOD offer no guarantees. That said, we at APOD (as well as the organizers of the Friends of APOD) invite advice from people who have printed their APOD calendars as to how they did it and what quality resulted. These stories may be posted below but are, again, not to be taken as endorsements -- individual experiences may vary.

Two services that seem relatively easy and direct include:

Simple Print Service at http://www.simpleprintservice.com/

and FedEx Office at: http://www.fedex.com/us/office/

Now http://www.toptenreviews.com/services/i ... -services/
lists several printing services, but beware some of these may enter you into a labyrinth of printing choices -- perhaps more so than the above two.

Do you enjoy APOD calendars? Then you may want to join the Friends of APOD at http://friendsofapod.org/ . Would you like other versions of the calendar, such as a "galaxies only" version? If so, please say so in a posted comment below. If there is enough interest then APOD calendars of different themes may be created.

- RJN

This calendar is incredible! I would love to see more.

You guys do a great job on all the APOD sites. I have always been fascinated with space & atmospheric phenomenon, ever since I watched the 1969 movie 2001 A Space Oddyessy. I have had the very rare chance to view distant galaxies & even see the Space Shuttle in flight while working at a GEODSS site. Thanks very much. David Maui Hawaii

This calendar is beautiful, as always -- thanks for all the work everyone does to create it. However, there are a few typos which add extra seasonal features to the year:
--August 21, 2016 is labeled "solstice"
--January 20, 2017 is labeled "equinox"
--May 21, 2017 is labeled "solstice"
If those could be corrected, this would be pretty perfect.

rkdm wrote: ... there are a few typos which add extra seasonal features to the year:
If those could be corrected, this would be pretty perfect.

Thank you! You are of course correct and I have just fixed these typos. The above links now point to the revised "v4" calendars.

- RJN

Very nice
Q: why is July 4th 2017 written "Juno reaches Jupiter" ?
thanks
Jindra

Yes PLEASE make a galaxy calendar!!!

Jindra Kubicek wrote:Very nice
Q: why is July 4th 2017 written "Juno reaches Jupiter" ?
thanks
Jindra

Oops! Fixed it. Thanks! - RJN

What a wonderful calendar. You have done a great job with this, and I'm definitely going to find a nice non-recommended-but-useful way to get this printed.

That said, yes I'd be interested in a more focused version; to wit, Galaxies only, especially interacting galaxies. I'm always fascinated by the sense of motion and evolution this images provide, even though they never change in our lifetimes. And I can't help wondering; "What do the intelligent lifeforms there..." [pointing at a random area of the image] see in their night sky?"

I, and millions more, would appreciate a version starting the week on Monday.
Thanks in advance and congratulations any way.

Beautiful calendar. I would love to see one with Galaxies only please. Thank you

I had a batch of calendars printed at a local print shop, and have handed them out to the APODniks among my acquaintance.

However, there's one small error: the day for January 20, 2017, is labelled "Equinox". I do believe that should be "Solstice".

Also, my wife would prefer a calendar without the little daily pictures, to make it easier to write upcoming events on the calendar - yes, we still like to use dead tree for that purpose.

Otherwise, thank you many times over for a delightful calendar!

Brown Line wrote:However, there's one small error: the day for January 20, 2017, is labelled "Equinox". I do believe that should be "Solstice".

Unfortunately, you seem to have printed out an old version that has since been corrected. (And January 20 is neither the equinox nor the solstice.)

Also, my wife would prefer a calendar without the little daily pictures, to make it easier to write upcoming events on the calendar - yes, we still like to use dead tree for that purpose.

The PowerPoint version is the document source. If you download that one, you can modify it to your heart's content, which includes removing the background fill from calendar squares.

The galaxy only version sounds like a dream come true!

HI APOD creators! I love APOD, and have turned on many people to the site. HOWEVER (you saw this coming...) I am also a graphic designer, and I break out in (metaphorical) hives when I see images shrunk along one axis just to make them fit into a space. For all the meticulous accuracy involed in creating astronomical images, smashing them up to fit a box is outrageous. Please, next time, just envision the square dates space as a window, if yoiu will, looking out at a partial, but unmutilated image. I would even dare to volunteer my design assistance, but I'm sure you folks have access to designers (is there a "Friends of APOD"?). But please, in closing: DO NOT SHRINK IMAGES ALONG ONE AXIS TO FIT A SPACE. EVER. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!!

mattminde wrote:I would even dare to volunteer my design assistance, but I'm sure you folks have access to designers (is there a "Friends of APOD"?).

You are an astute observer.

mattminde wrote:... (is there a "Friends of APOD"?) ...

http://friendsofapod.org/
http://www.facebook.com/FoAPoD/

I think mattminde noticed that, noticed that some actual design work had been done (as opposed to what the APOD website looks like) and put 2 and 2 together already. In other words, I've been found. I also know my opinion alone on how APOD is presented doesn't mean much. Things do change when a lot of people weigh in, though.

I love the calendar! Keep up the good work!

I would love a galaxies only calendar version
Also I'm personal not a big fan of some of the strange pictures of craters or other things that are not very interesting to look at...other than that Im so glad I found this app and look forward to seeing the new picture each day. Thank you

1st: APOD is just one more reason to know that NASA rocks!
2nd: Besides 'galaxy' only, I can think of many themed calendars. Immediate to mind are: weather/clouds/lightening calendars (my favorite) , fish-eye sky or panoramic views, nebulas, sol planets and moons (maybe including exo- and artistic renderings?), our moon, and new star formations (my second favorite).
3rd: APOD is 7852-ish (and growing) more reasons to know that NASA rocks!

I guess I am a little old to be doing this correctly the first time. Sorry Alex Dave
Anyway I had thought that a calendar of the sun would be awesome. One of my very favorite APOD pics was the blueberry sun showing the sun with a filter for calcium.
Always wonderful stuff.
Thank You

Prothall wrote:

Lex Dave wrote:1st: APOD is just one more reason to know that NASA rocks!
2nd: Besides 'galaxy' only, I can think of many themed calendars. Immediate to mind are: weather/clouds/lightening calendars (my favorite) , fish-eye sky or panoramic views, nebulas, sol planets and moons (maybe including exo- and artistic renderings?), our moon, and new star formations (my second favorite).
3rd: APOD is 7852-ish (and growing) more reasons to know that NASA rocks!

I just looked into printing. I uploaded the PDF version to a few sites.
simplewprintservice does not seem to have any way to print it as a calendar - indeed they only gave me two simplistic choices.
FedEx was much better. I chose double-sided and spiral bound and it correctly placed the binding on top of pages (not on side). It appears that it would hang on the wall exactly as intended. However, print cost is $31.
Then I tried some from the toptenreviews website that is referenced.
nextdayflyers - this site did not tell me how many calendars they were planning to ship to me, but for a price in the $thousands, I take it they are not for doing one-off jobs!
Vistaprint - will do one-off, but I couldn't figure out how to simply print from a PDF.
4over4 - minimum of 25 copies.
zazzle - couldn't figure out how to print spiral bound from PDF.

So far I can only figure out how to use FedEx.

For your information: For the 2014 (-?-) version, I took the APOD Calendar .PDF to Staples for printing. The outcome was gorgeous, but they made a mistake in how the photographs were associated with the calendar pages. In apology, they printed -two- copies of the calendar, and I only paid for one (about $25.00, if memory serves). I gave the other one to a fellow with whom I had become acquainted while waiting for Staples to finish the job. He had a son who was a former NASA engineer that designed, built and maintained the space shuttle featured in the February image. He wanted to give it as a gift to his son.