Vincent van Gogh often incorporated celestial elements into his work. Now we can compare his paintings with real astronomical data. And when we do, says Dr Vassilios Spathopoulos, we get a lot of surprises.

“Sometimes van Gogh exercised artistic licence with celestial positioning and appearance, but remarkably, at other times he depicted astronomical objects with striking accuracy, suggesting careful observation of the night sky.”

Supported by the Royal Astronomical Society