I’m a city person, but I’ve sometimes missed the splendor of a rural night sky. And I’ve wondered what my favorite urban environment might be like if I could see a full night of stars. Photographer Thierry Cohen provides these composite shots of my three favorite cities sans urban lighting and moonlight. Maybe like the blackout of 2003 in New York City or the 1989 Loma-Prieta earthquake in San Francisco, with no urban unrest but no electricity either. Thierry Cohen identifies each photo with the precise time, angle, and longitude and latitude of the exposure.
New York 40° 44’ 39’’ N 2010-10-13 lst 0:04
New York 40° 42’ 16’’ N 2010-10-09 lst 3:40
Paris 48° 51’ 03’’ N 2012-07-19 lst 19:46
San Francisco 37° 48’ 30’’ N 2010-10-09 lst 20:58
Paris 48° 50’ 55’’ N 2012-08-13 lst 22:15
Paris 48° 51’ 52’’ N 2021-07-14 utc 22:18
playing for keeps 