The night sky on the night of the first Times Square ball drop — 1 January 1908

At midnight on New Year's Eve 1907 an illuminated ball of iron and wood was lowered from the flagpole of One Times Square in New York for the first time, to welcome 1908. The ball drop has been held there every New Year's Eve since, except in 1942 and 1943 during wartime blackouts.

The sky over One Times Square, New York, USA

This is the real sky above One Times Square, New York, USA (40.76°N, 73.99°W) on 1 January 1908 at 00:00 EST (UTC−5) — the stroke of midnight (1908-01-01 05:00 UTC). The Sun was 72° below the horizon: it was full night. The Moon (waning crescent, 10% lit) was below the horizon. Planets above the horizon: Jupiter (52° in the south-east). Brightest named stars up: Sirius, Capella, Rigel, Procyon and Betelgeuse.

Star map of the sky over One Times Square, New York, USA on 1 January 1908 at 00:00 Jupiter SiriusCapellaRigelProcyonBetelgeuseAldebaranPolluxRegulus NSEW
804 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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