The Starry Night’s central stars reportedly align with the Hyades

Comparing the Moon, Venus, and five central stars with a reconstructed sky

Researchers reconstructed the 1889 dawn sky within a viewing frame derived from Van Gogh's landscape work and compared it with The Starry Night. They reported that 22 July placed the Moon, Venus, and Hyades together in the reconstructed frame, and that five selected central stars fit the Hyades more closely than alternative pairings. The researchers caution that geometry alone is not conclusive because other star groups can also make close geometric matches.

Interpretations of the central stars in The Starry Night had remained unsettled, with earlier work proposing Aries rather than the Hyades. The painting has conventionally been dated to June 1889.

The reported analysis favors the Hyades interpretation and identifies the pre-dawn sky around 22 July 1889 as the closest combined match for the Moon, Venus, and central stars. Its authors say this reopens questions about when the painting was developed, while not fixing its completion to one day.

If supported, the result connects a disputed feature of a major painting to a specific astronomical arrangement and offers art historians a new way to examine the painting's chronology. The researchers say the match does not establish a single completion date and may instead reflect skies observed across several days.