The night sky on the night of Washington's crossing of the Delaware — 25 December 1776
On the icy night of 25–26 December 1776 George Washington led about 2,400 Continental soldiers across the Delaware River from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, through sleet and floating ice. The next morning they surprised and defeated the Hessian garrison at Trenton — a victory that revived the American cause.
The sky over McConkey's Ferry (Washington Crossing), Pennsylvania, USA
This is the real sky above McConkey's Ferry (Washington Crossing), Pennsylvania, USA (40.30°N, 74.87°W) on 25 December 1776 at 23:00 local mean time (UTC−4:59) that night (1776-12-26 03:59 UTC). The Sun was 69° below the horizon: it was full night. The Moon (waning gibbous, 99% lit) was 58° up in the south-east. Planets above the horizon: Jupiter (53° in the east). Brightest named stars up: Sirius, Capella, Rigel, Procyon and Betelgeuse.
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