25 April 1953
Waxing Gibbous, 87% lit
The double helix
The structure of DNA was published in a single page under a 89% moon.
The paper's most quoted line is a masterpiece of understatement: they note it has not escaped their attention that the pairing they propose immediately suggests a copying mechanism. Rosalind Franklin's photograph, which made it possible, was shown to them without her knowledge.
- Date
- 25 April 1953
- Moon computed for
- 12:00 local time, UTC+1The time of day is not recorded here, so noon stands in.
- Phase
- Waxing Gibbous
- Illuminated
- 87%
Source: Watson & Crick, Nature (1953)