Researchers trace Van Gogh’s Starry Night to July 1889 sky
Researchers say they have identified the night sky that inspired Vincent van Gogh’s *The Starry Night*: just before dawn on 22 July 1889, as seen from his room in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Their finding supports the idea that the painting reflects a real view and challenges its traditional dating to around 18 June.
The team compared astronomical reconstructions with two of Van Gogh’s reliably dated night-sky paintings, *Café Terrace at Night* and *Starry Night over the Rhône*, which they found showed recognisable star patterns. They then reconstructed the view from Saint-Rémy and matched the painting’s waning crescent Moon, Venus and the Hyades cluster in Taurus to the July sky. The study was published in *Scientific Reports*.
In short
- Researchers date the sky in *The Starry Night* to 22 July 1889.
- The Moon, Venus and Hyades cluster align with that night’s sky.
- The finding challenges the painting’s traditional June dating.
Explained simply
Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch painter who spent time at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, in southern France, in 1889. He painted the view from his room there, including the landscape and night sky that became the subject of The Starry Night.
The painting shows a crescent Moon and bright stars, but its exact date has long been uncertain. Researchers have compared its sky with astronomical records and with other night scenes by Van Gogh whose dates are better established. Their work matters because it may help clarify when he painted it and how closely the scene relates to a real view.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Scientists pinpoint the exact sky that inspired Van Gogh’s The Starry Night”.