The night sky on the night of the War of the Worlds broadcast — 30 October 1938
At 8 p.m. on 30 October 1938, the night before Halloween, Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the Air broadcast an adaptation of H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds on CBS radio, told as a string of news bulletins about Martians landing at Grover's Mill, New Jersey. Newspapers reported widespread panic among listeners, though later research suggests the scare was much exaggerated.
The sky over CBS studios, 485 Madison Avenue, New York, USA
This is the real sky above CBS studios, 485 Madison Avenue, New York, USA (40.76°N, 73.97°W) on 30 October 1938 at 20:00 EST (UTC−5) — the start of the broadcast (1938-10-31 01:00 UTC). The Sun was 35° below the horizon: it was full night. The Moon (first quarter, 47% lit) was 26° up in the south-west. Planets above the horizon: Jupiter (33° in the south) and Saturn (41° in the south-east). Brightest named stars up: Vega, Capella, Altair, Aldebaran and Fomalhaut.
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