The Sky Above Aretha Franklin at the Moment of Death

Person · 1942–2018 · Time recorded

The record

• Date of death: 2018-08-16
• Time of death (local): 09:50 (Time recorded) — Her death certificate and the family statement, carried by CNN, both give 9:50 a.m. at her home in Detroit.
• Place: Detroit, Michigan, United States
• UTC: 2018-08-16T13:50Z

The sky at that moment

• Zenith (the point directly overhead): RA 89.03°, Dec 42.33°

Star closest to the zenith

Computed with the same standard astronomy as our free calculator: the recorded time and place give the local sidereal time, which fixes the zenith; the closest star by angular distance inside a ±15° declination band of the real catalog is selected. What is shown here is the purely astronomical result — the nearest star to the zenith.

• Catalog ID: HIP 27889
• Constellation: Auriga
• Magnitude: 8.44
• Distance (light-years): 1863.8
• Angular distance from zenith (degrees): 0.4480°

Brightest stars in that sky

The brightest real stars (catalog IDs from the HYG star catalog — mostly Hipparcos/HIP numbers) that were above 10° altitude at that same moment.

• HIP 24608 — Auriga, Magnitude 0.08 (81.8°)
• HIP 24436 — Orion, Magnitude 0.18 (38.5°)
• HIP 37279 — Canis Minor, Magnitude 0.4 (46.6°)
• HIP 27989 — Orion, Magnitude 0.45 (55.1°)
• HIP 21421 — Taurus, Magnitude 0.87 (58.8°)

Sources & verification

Last verified: 2026-09-17

This page is an independent astronomical record. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by the person, their family, or their estate. Memorial naming is commemorative and is not recognized by the IAU.

• CNN — Time 9:50 a.m. and place from the family statement: https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/16/entertainment/aretha-franklin-dead/index.html
• The Detroit News — Home location: her Detroit condominium: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/music/aretha-franklin/2018/08/16/detroit-aretha-franklin-home-fans/1008356002/

All cases · Open the Death Sky Calculator · How these numbers are computed

艾瑞莎·富兰克林离世时的星空(2018-08-16)| A Star Named

人物 · 1942–2018 · 时刻有记录

记录

• 离世日期: 2018-08-16
• 离世时刻(当地): 09:50 (时刻有记录) — 死亡证明与经 CNN 发布的家属声明一致:上午 9:50 于底特律家中离世。
• 地点: 密歇根州底特律, 美国
• 世界时(UTC): 2018-08-16T13:50Z

那一刻的星空

• 天顶(正头顶的那一点): RA 89.03°, Dec 42.33°

离天顶最近的星

与站内免费计算器同一套标准天文算法:由记录的时刻与地点推出当地恒星时,得到天顶坐标,再取真实星表里赤纬 ±15° 带内球面角距最小的星。这里给出的是「离天顶最近」这一纯天文结果。

• 星表编号: HIP 27889
• 星座: 御夫座
• 星等: 8.44
• 距离(光年): 1863.8
• 与天顶的角距(度): 0.4480°

那一刻天空中最亮的星

同一时刻位于地平线 10° 以上、星等最亮的前几颗真实恒星(HYG 星表编号,多为 Hipparcos/HIP 编号)。

• HIP 24608 — 御夫座, 星等 0.08 (81.8°)
• HIP 24436 — 猎户座, 星等 0.18 (38.5°)
• HIP 37279 — 小犬座, 星等 0.4 (46.6°)
• HIP 27989 — 猎户座, 星等 0.45 (55.1°)
• HIP 21421 — 金牛座, 星等 0.87 (58.8°)

来源与核验

最近核验: 2026-09-17

本页是独立的天文记录,与该人物本人、家属或遗产管理机构无任何关联,亦未经其认可或授权。纪念命名仅为纪念意义,不获国际天文学联合会(IAU)官方承认。

• CNN — 家属声明的时刻 9:50 与地点: https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/16/entertainment/aretha-franklin-dead/index.html
• 《底特律新闻》 — 住所:底特律的公寓: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/music/aretha-franklin/2018/08/16/detroit-aretha-franklin-home-fans/1008356002/

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