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The “Stars” of Titanic

April 16, 2012
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster

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The Titanic. Photo by Bain News Service
I answer a fair share of questions from authors, historians, and filmmakers who are trying to find weather or astronomical observations for a particular time and place so they can accurately describe a moment in time. You can imagine my delight when I read that film director James Cameron will be including a historically accurate night sky in the re-release of the 1997 epic film Titanic, which happens to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912. The inaccuracies of the film’s night sky were brought to Cameron’s attention back in the late 1990’s when American astrophysicist Neil de Grasse Tyson informed the filmmaker that the sky he used in the iconic film was astronomically incorrect. It turns out the night sky in the 1997 film was an artistic rendering, with half of the sky reflecting a mirror image of the other half.
Dr. Neil de Grasse Tyson provided Cameron with the astronomically correct star field to use in the 2012 re-release. According to Cameron, the restructured night sky is the only technical change made to the 2012 release. To give you an idea of the night sky during the Titanic’s voyage in 1912, I scanned the April 1912 Evening Sky Map from the Monthly Evening Sky Map series.  I also discovered that there was central eclipse of the sun on April 17, 1912 that would have been partially seen in the morning hours along the Eastern US and Canada.
From Monthly Evening Sky Map, v. 6 , April 1912.
Additionally, I decided to calculate the sun and moon times for the Titanic on April 14-15, 1912 using the United States Naval Observatory Complete Sun and Moon Data (Please keep in mind that these times are estimates  based on the latitude N41.8, longitude W50.2,  and Universal Time hour – 3 hours).
April 14, 1912
Sun:

Sunrise: 5:43 am
Sunset 7:00 pm
End of civil Twilight: 7:29 pm

Moon: Waning crescent with 9% of the Moon’s visible disk illuminated. New Moon on April 17, 1912

Moonrise 4:36 am
 Moon Transit: 10:15 am
 Moonset: 4:04 pm
Moonrise 4:56 am on following day (April 15, 1912)

April 15, 1912
Sun:

Sunrise 5:41 am
Sunset 7:01 pm
End of Civil Twilight: 7:30 pm

Moon: Waning crescent with 4% of the Moon’s visible disk illuminated

Moon rise 4:56 am
Moon Transit 10:58 am
Moonset 5:11 pm

Composite of five mounted photographs of wireless operator on shipboard receiving distress call; life boats bringing Titanic’s survivors to the Carpathia; Capt. Smith of the Titanic–1912.
The Library of Congress offers a wealth of primary and secondary sources about the Titanic. Mark Hall, a librarian for the Digital Reference Service, wrote about the Library’s Titanic Treasure Trove in a 1998 LC Information Bulletin. In this article, Mark highlights and discusses the Library’s vast collection of Titanic material that includes newspaper articles, music, photographs, books, sound recordings, manuscripts, and film/footage.
This past week my fellow LC bloggers have also published articles on the Titanic in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of its sinking:
LC Blog:- An Unsinkable Legacy- Remembering the Titanic 
In the Muse (Performing Arts) – Sheet music of the Week-Titanic Centennial Edition 
Teaching with the Library of Congress– Titanic: In the News and Memory 
Picture This! (Prints and Photographs)- The Waifs in the Deep: Titanic Survivors
In Custodia Legis (Law Library) – Failure to Update the Law a Titanic Mistake
From the Catbird Seat (Poetry) – RMS Titanic: The Poetic Response

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Comments

OSWALDO SANVITI says:

April 16, 2012 at 1:44 pm

luft spiegel, also airplanes crash by this phenomena, the landing field is seen like at short altitude than in normal conditions

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The discussion centers on the historical and astronomical accuracy surrounding the sinking of the Titanic, specifically addressing the depiction of the night sky in the film and seeking accurate celestial observations for the event. The author notes that they frequently answer questions from historians and filmmakers seeking precise weather or astronomical data for specific times and locations. A key point of reference is the request made to the film director James Cameron to include a historically accurate night sky in the 2012 re-release, coinciding with the one hundredth anniversary of the sinking on April 15, 1912. This necessitated correcting inaccuracies in the original cinematic depiction of the night sky, which the author traces back to feedback from American astrophysicist Neil de Grasse Tyson in the late 1990s, who indicated the sky used in the film was astronomically incorrect, noting it was an artistic rendering with a mirrored half.

To establish the correct celestial context for the Titanic’s voyage in 1912, the author performed calculations using the Monthly Evening Sky Map series for April 1912. Furthermore, the author identified a central solar eclipse that would have been partially visible in the morning hours along the Eastern US and Canada on April 17, 1912. To further detail the voyage, the author calculated the sun and moon times for the Titanic on April 14 and 15, 1912, utilizing the United States Naval Observatory Complete Sun and Moon Data. These calculations were based on the vessel's estimated latitude of North forty-one point eight and longitude West fifty point two, using Universal Time hour minus three hours. For April 14, 1912, the sunrise was calculated for 5:43 am and sunset for 7:00 pm, with the end of civil twilight at 7:29 pm. The lunar data indicated a waning crescent with nine percent of the Moon’s visible disk illuminated, noting the New Moon occurred on April 17, 1912. Moonrise was calculated for 4:36 am, Moon Transit for 10:15 am, and Moonset for 4:04 pm, with the moon rising on the following day, April 15, 1912, at 4:56 am, and the moonsetting at 5:11 pm, with only four percent of the disk illuminated.

Beyond the astronomical data, the author references the extensive resources available through the Library of Congress, which holds a substantial collection of primary and secondary sources related to the Titanic, including newspaper articles, music, photographs, manuscripts, and sound recordings, as highlighted by Mark Hall in a 1998 information bulletin. This wealth of material is further supported by related blog posts commemorating the centenary of the sinking, demonstrating the broad historical interest in the event. The post ultimately serves to ground the historical narrative of the Titanic by providing technically verifiable astronomical context, while simultaneously pointing toward the historical documentation preserved by institutions like the Library of Congress and the broader cultural memory surrounding the disaster.