The night sky on the night of the Christmas truce of 1914 — 24 December 1914
On Christmas Eve 1914 fighting stopped along parts of the Western Front, especially around Ypres in Belgium. German soldiers put up candle-lit trees on their parapets and sang carols, and British troops answered. On Christmas Day men from both sides met in no man's land to exchange gifts, bury their dead and, in places, play football.
The sky over near Ploegsteert, Flanders, Belgium
This is the real sky above near Ploegsteert, Flanders, Belgium (50.73°N, 2.88°E) on 24 December 1914 at 22:00 GMT (British lines) that night (1914-12-24 22:00 UTC). The Sun was 56° below the horizon: it was full night. The Moon (first quarter, 56% lit) was 24° up in the west. Planets above the horizon: Saturn (56° in the south-east). Brightest named stars up: Sirius, Capella, Rigel, Procyon and Betelgeuse.
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