ScienceFeatureUpdated 1 hr ago

Study matches van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ to a July 1889 predawn sky

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets across the spectrum.

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Image via The Daily BeastHow images are chosen Report this image

A South Korean research team led by Elijah Jeong-hyun Kim, the CEO of a Seoul telescope maker, says a predawn sky over Saint-Rémy-de-Provence matches van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’ and dates the sky to around July 22, 1889, a month later than the June 1889 date art historians have long assumed. The team reports the work in a study, saying it visited France twice and checked the moon’s shape and historical weather records. Some experts are cautious: physicist Jose Luis Aragon, who has also studied the painting, calls the match an intriguing hypothesis rather than a settled answer.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

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The coverage spectrum counts the outlets covering a story at each of five points. A short or missing segment means that part of the spectrum is mostly quiet.

Governor Loaded verb“slams”It adds drama to what was said. The governor criticized the lawmakers; “slams” makes it sound like a fight.More neutral: criticizes lawmakers over budget delay

Highlights mark words that carry a judgement. Tap one to see why, and what a neutral writer would say. Here it is “criticizes”.

The 5-point spectrum

Far Left
Voices that strongly advocate for progressive policies and systemic change.
Left
Mainstream liberal perspectives focusing on social equality and regulation.
Center
Sources that prioritize neutral reporting and balanced viewpoints.
Right
Mainstream conservative perspectives focusing on market freedom and tradition.
Far Right
Voices that strongly advocate for conservative values and limited government.

How we measure bias

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

A South Korean team led by Elijah Jeong-hyun Kim says van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’ matches a predawn sky over Saint-Rémy around July 22, 1889.
Reported byFar Left1Left1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Left
The Daily Beast
Left
ABC News
Center
France 24
Right
New York Post
The team dates the painting’s sky about a month later than the June 1889 date art historians have long assumed.
Reported byFar Left1Left1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Far Left
The Daily Beast
Left
ABC News
Center
France 24
Right
New York Post
The team says it made two research trips to France and checked the moon’s shape and historical weather records.
One outletThe Daily Beast· Far Left
Physicist Jose Luis Aragon, who has also studied the painting, calls the match an intriguing hypothesis rather than a settled answer.
One outletThe Daily Beast· Far Left
The findings appear in a study published in the journal Nature, with researchers from Kyung Hee University in Yongin, South Korea.
One outletNew York Post· Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

The painting shows a predawn sky from around July 22, 1889, rather than the June 1889 date long assumed.
The South Korean team says the sky matches July 22, 1889; art historians have long dated the work to June 1889; physicist Jose Luis Aragon calls the match an intriguing hypothesis rather than a settled answer.

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report a South Korean team’s claim that van Gogh’s Starry Night matches a predawn sky around July 22, 1889. The difference is that the New York Post and Daily Beast present it as settled, while the AP-written report attributes it to the researchers.

the left
2 outlets
Headlines present the study as a discovery about what inspired the painting; the far-left Daily Beast states its conclusion as fact, while the AP-written ABC report stays closer to the scientists’ claim.
New Study Loaded verb“Reveals”The verb presents a contested scientific dating as a revealed fact.More neutral: SuggestsDisagree with this highlight? Absolutist framing“True Inspiration”The phrase presents a contested reading of the evidence as settled.More neutral: Possible InspirationDisagree with this highlight? for Iconic Van Gogh Painting
The Daily BeastFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines
the center
1 outlet
Center coverage is only the AP report that France 24 ran under its own headline, which frames the work as scientists acting as art detectives dating the painting.
the right
1 outlet
The New York Post headline says astronomers discovered the exact date as settled fact, though its own text says the researchers hypothesize a date.
Astronomers Absolutist framing“discover the exact date”The phrase presents a proposed dating as a settled discovery of an exact date.More neutral: study proposes a date forDisagree with this highlight? that Vincent van Gogh painted his iconic ‘Starry Night’
New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Left2
RevealsTrue Inspiration
Center0
No loaded words in its own voice.
Right1
discover the exact date

In the outlets’ own words

Loaded verb
RevealsMore neutral: Suggests
The verb presents a contested scientific dating as a revealed fact.
New Study Reveals True Inspiration for Iconic Van Gogh Painting
Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)
Absolutist framing
True InspirationMore neutral: Possible Inspiration
The phrase presents a contested reading of the evidence as settled.
New Study Reveals True Inspiration for Iconic Van Gogh Painting
Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)
Absolutist framing
discover the exact dateMore neutral: study proposes a date for
The phrase presents a proposed dating as a settled discovery of an exact date.
Astronomers discover the exact date that Vincent van Gogh painted his iconic ‘Starry Night’
Used byNew York Post (Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

a new date for the painting
a real sky as inspiration
a skeptical expert view

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

The Daily BeastFar Left
New Study Loaded verb“Reveals”The verb presents a contested scientific dating as a revealed fact.More neutral: SuggestsDisagree with this highlight? Absolutist framing“True Inspiration”The phrase presents a contested reading of the evidence as settled.More neutral: Possible InspirationDisagree with this highlight? for Iconic Van Gogh Painting
Scientists may have matched Vincent van Gogh’s iconic “The Starry Night” to a specific celestial scene. Art historians long thought the painting depicted the sky in June 1889, when van Gogh was a patient at a psychiatric hospital in France’s Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, but new …
19 hr agoRead at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
ABC NewsLeftAssociated Press report
New study traces van Gogh's famed 'Starry Night' to an actual night sky from 1889
Scientists have traced Vincent van Gogh's “The Starry Night” to a celestial scene that suggests a new date for one of the world's most famous paintings
1 day agoRead at ABC News (opens in a new tab)
Also published by France 24. It counts once.

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

scientists as art detectives
a new date for the painting

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines

France 24CenterAssociated Press report
Scientists turn art detectives to date van Gogh's 'Starry Night' to actual sky from 1889
France 24 published a report that is shown in full at ABC News. The headline is the one France 24 gave it.
22 hr agoRead at France 24 (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

the exact date of the painting
observation rather than imagination
Kyung Hee University researchers

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines

New York PostRight
Astronomers Absolutist framing“discover the exact date”The phrase presents a proposed dating as a settled discovery of an exact date.More neutral: study proposes a date forDisagree with this highlight? that Vincent van Gogh painted his iconic ‘Starry Night’
One of the most famous images in modern art was long believed to be a celestial vision born of the brilliant, bereft mind of Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh.
1 hr agoRead at New York Post (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

Left
First to report
ABC News, Oct 22, 11:32 AM EDT
Center
1 hr 54 min later
Its first report, Oct 22, 1:27 PM EDT
Right
22 hr 53 min later
Its first report, Oct 23, 10:25 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

ABC NewsLeftOct 22, 11:32 AM EDT
France 24CenterOct 22, 1:27 PM EDT
The Daily BeastFar LeftOct 22, 3:49 PM EDT
New York PostRightOct 23, 10:25 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Study matches van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ to a July 1889 predawn sky

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Where accounts differ

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

In the outlets’ own words

Side by side

From the left

New study traces van Gogh's famed 'Starry Night' to an actual night sky from 1889

From the center

Scientists turn art detectives to date van Gogh's 'Starry Night' to actual sky from 1889

From the right

Astronomers Absolutist framing“discover the exact date”The phrase presents a proposed dating as a settled discovery of an exact date.More neutral: study proposes a date forDisagree with this highlight? that Vincent van Gogh painted his iconic ‘Starry Night’

How the coverage built up

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Key points

Where accounts differ

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

In the outlets’ own words

Side by side

From the left

New study traces van Gogh's famed 'Starry Night' to an actual night sky from 1889

From the center

Scientists turn art detectives to date van Gogh's 'Starry Night' to actual sky from 1889

From the right

Astronomers discover the exact dateAbsolutist framing“discover the exact date”The phrase presents a proposed dating as a settled discovery of an exact date.More neutral: study proposes a date forDisagree with this highlight? that Vincent van Gogh painted his iconic ‘Starry Night’

How the coverage built up

Read next

Anduril and Colossal cofounders launch Warhound startup to develop military working dogs

Assessment finds almost all shallow-water coral reefs at high risk of collapse by 2075

Trump calls for Rep. Ilhan Omar to resign as reports cite a different birth name

Supreme Court allows New Hampshire to bar student IDs for voting in midterms

Teen arrested in alleged plot to kill Rep. Keith Self, federal sources say

Astronomers Absolutist framing“discover the exact date”The phrase presents a proposed dating as a settled discovery of an exact date.More neutral: study proposes a date forDisagree with this highlight? that Vincent van Gogh painted his iconic ‘Starry Night’