The night sky on the night of Paul Revere's midnight ride — 18 April 1775
On the night of 18 April 1775 Paul Revere and William Dawes rode out from Boston to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock, at Lexington, that British troops were on the move. Two lanterns hung in the steeple of the Old North Church signalled that the regulars were crossing by water. The next morning the first shots of the American Revolutionary War were fired at Lexington and Concord.
The sky over Old North Church, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
This is the real sky above Old North Church, Boston, Massachusetts, USA (42.37°N, 71.05°W) on 18 April 1775 at 22:00 Boston local mean time (UTC−4:44) that night (1775-04-19 02:44 UTC). The Sun was 30° below the horizon: it was full night. The Moon (waning gibbous, 88% lit) was 1° up in the south-east. Planets above the horizon: Mars (55° in the south-west) and Saturn (46° in the south). Brightest named stars up: Arcturus, Vega, Capella, Procyon and Betelgeuse.
Make the sky of YOUR date
Every night has its own sky. Pick your city and your date — the night you met, a birth, a wedding — and see the real stars above it, free.
Want this night on your wall? Make a print-ready A3 star-chart poster of 18 April 1775 — 4.99.
All 75 historic night skies · The night sky on your birthday