Famous Nights · 1 August 1981

The sky the minute MTV went on air

«Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll»

One minute past midnight, 1 August 1981, New York. MTV plays its first video — Video Killed the Radio Star — and music is never the same. This was the sky at that exact minute. Every star in its true position. What's your night?

New York, USA · 1 August 1981 · 00:01 local · 40.7128° N · 74.0060° W

Now map your own night — from £34.99 Set to this famous sky below — or map your own date and place in two taps.

The sky the minute MTV went on air — star map art print

The short film

Eight seconds over New York.

The era scene is an AI reconstruction. The sky above it is not — every star is computed from astronomical data for 1 August 1981, 00:01 local time.

Your turn

Make it your night.

Below, the map is set to this famous sky. Start fresh with your own date and place — the night you met, a birthday, a wedding — from £34.99. Or keep this historic sky as a print.

Map my own night — from £34.99 Keep this historic sky →