The night sky on the night of the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony — 27 July 2012
On 27 July 2012 Danny Boyle's opening ceremony 'Isles of Wonder' launched the London Olympics, the first city to host the modern Games three times. The Queen appeared in a film with James Bond, and the cauldron was lit by seven young athletes nominated by British Olympic legends.
The sky over Olympic Stadium, Stratford, London, England
This is the real sky above Olympic Stadium, Stratford, London, England (51.54°N, 0.02°W) on 27 July 2012 at 21:00 BST (UTC+1) — the start of the ceremony (2012-07-27 20:00 UTC). The Sun had just set (1° below the horizon), so only the brightest stars and planets showed in the twilight. The Moon (waxing gibbous, 67% lit) was 18° up in the south. Planets above the horizon: Saturn (21° in the south-west) and Mars (17° in the south-west). Brightest named stars up: Arcturus, Vega, Capella, Altair and Spica.
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