Using astronomy to unravel the secrets of famous kiss

New findings suggest that the famous photograph of a sailor and a woman in white kissing in Times Square to celebrate Japan’s surrender in World War II occurred at precisely 5:51 p.m., The New York Times reports. In the August issue of Sky & Telescope, scientists describe how they used shadows in the picture—cast by nearby buildings that acted like the “gnomon of a sundial”—to calculate the sun’s position and therefore the precise moment the photo took place. The analysis refutes a popularly accepted account described in the book The Kissing Sailor that had placed the time of the kiss at about 2 p.m., the researchers say. via