The night sky on the night of the inauguration of the Eiffel Tower — 31 March 1889

On 31 March 1889 Gustave Eiffel climbed to the top of his newly finished tower in Paris and raised the French flag, inaugurating what was then the tallest structure in the world, about 300 metres high. It was built as the entrance arch to the 1889 Exposition Universelle, marking the centenary of the French Revolution.

The sky over Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

This is the real sky above Eiffel Tower, Paris, France (48.86°N, 2.29°E) on 31 March 1889 at 22:00 Paris local mean time (UTC+0:09) that night (1889-03-31 21:51 UTC). The Sun was 30° below the horizon: it was full night. The Moon (new, 0% lit) was below the horizon. Planets above the horizon: Venus (3° in the north-west) and Saturn (54° in the south-west). Brightest named stars up: Sirius, Arcturus, Vega, Capella and Procyon.

Star map of the sky over Eiffel Tower, Paris, France on 31 March 1889 at 22:00 VenusSaturn SiriusArcturusVegaCapellaProcyonBetelgeuseAldebaranSpica NSEW
792 stars brighter than magnitude 5 above the horizon, with the constellation figures. Look up: north at the top, east on the left.

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