The evening sky over Bethel as Woodstock began
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair began on Friday 15 August 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York. Richie Havens walked on stage first and opened the festival.
Organisers had planned for far fewer people. Hundreds of thousands came, and roads around Bethel filled with traffic for miles. Many bands could not reach the site on time.
The sky above Bethel, New York on 15 August 1969
The sun was above the horizon, so daylight hid the stars. The chart shows where they were. There was a waxing crescent Moon in the sky, 7% lit. It stood 41° above the horizon in the south-west, in the constellation Leo.
The sun is above the horizon at this moment, so daylight hides the stars and the planets. The tables show where they are in the sky.
- Local time
- 17:07
- Time in UTC
- 15 August 1969 at 21:07 UTC
- Sun
- Daylight
- Sun position
- 31° above the horizon
- Moon phase
- waxing crescent Moon
- Moon lit
- 7%
- Moon position
- 41° above the horizon in the south-west
| Planet | Visible | Direction | Altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | No | south-west | 40° |
| Venus | No | north-west | 7° |
| Mars | No | south-east | 12° |
| Jupiter | No | south-west | 43° |
| Saturn | No | north | -35° |
| Uranus | No | south-west | 43° |
| Neptune | No | south-east | 25° |
| Star | Constellation | Direction | Altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcturus | Boötes | south | 67° |
| Vega | Lyra | north-east | 36° |
| Spica | Virgo | south | 37° |
| Antares | Scorpius | south-east | 12° |
| Pollux | Gemini | west | 18° |
| Deneb | Cygnus | north-east | 20° |
| Regulus | Leo | west | 35° |
| Castor | Gemini | north-west | 19° |
| Alioth | Ursa Major | north-west | 73° |
| Dubhe | Ursa Major | north-west | 59° |
36 constellations are above the horizon. Highest in the sky: Canes Venatici, Boötes, Coma Berenices, Corona Borealis, Ursa Major, Draco, Ursa Minor, Hercules, Leo Minor, Serpens, Virgo and Leo.
What happened that evening
Havens kept playing while the next acts tried to get through the traffic. Near the end of his set, he made up a song on the spot, built on the word 'Freedom'.
Music went on into the night, with folk singers on the first day. Rain fell over the weekend, and the field turned to mud.
Why people remember it
Woodstock became a symbol of a generation and of music shared by a huge crowd in peace. The festival ran into Monday morning, when Jimi Hendrix closed it.
The farm field is now part of the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. A star map of the opening evening makes a gift for a music fan, or for someone who was there.
Questions about this night
It shows 5:07pm Eastern Daylight Time on 15 August 1969, when Richie Havens began the first set of the festival.
No. The festival took its name from Woodstock, New York, but it took place on a farm in Bethel, more than 40 miles (about 65 km) away.
Yes. Open the map in the editor and change the time. The place and date stay the same.