Astronomers Pinpoint Potential Date for Van Gogh's Starry Night

The South Korean team cross-referenced the positions of the Moon, Venus, and the Hyades star cluster against the artist's canvas. Their investigation, published in Scientific Reports, suggests that Van Gogh reconciled his direct observations with creative license, potentially blending views from multiple nights. Lead researcher Elijah Jeong-hyun Kim even traveled to the site of the former asylum to verify the landscape, noting a ridge that aligns with the painter's sketches.

However, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam maintains that the painting was likely completed in June 1889. Museum officials point to correspondence sent by the artist to his brother, Theo, on July 2, which included a sketch of the work. Furthermore, they emphasize that the artist suffered a debilitating breakdown on July 22, the very date proposed by the researchers, which would have rendered painting impossible for weeks. The museum remains skeptical of using astronomical precision to date the work, reiterating that Van Gogh often prioritized emotional expression over topographical or celestial accuracy. While recent studies have noted that the painting's brushstrokes uncannily mirror the physics of atmospheric turbulence, the debate over whether the work represents a specific snapshot or a composite of memory continues.