The ceiling of the Grand Central Terminal's Main Concourse is , arguably, the most striking feature of this iconic New York station. The astronomical ceiling was conceived in 1912 by Warren and French portrait artist Paul César Helleu, and executed by corps of astronomers and painting assistants working for the Hewlett-Basing Studio. The original ceiling was replaced in the late 1930s to correct falling plaster. In 1957, in an attempt to counteract feelings of insecurity spawned by the Soviet launch of Sputnik, an American Redstone missile was set up in the Main Concourse. With No other way to erect the missile, a hole was cut in the ceiling around the image of Pisces, so the rocket could be lifted into place.Historical preservation dictated that this hole remain (as opposed to being repaired) as a testament to the many uses of the Terminal over the years. By the 1980s, the ceiling was obscured by decades of what was thought to be coal and diesel smoke. Spectroscopic examination revealed that it was mostly tar and nicotine from tobacco smoke. A 12-year restoration effort completed in autumn 1996 restored the ceiling to its original luster. he starry ceiling is astronomically inaccurate in a complicated way. While the stars within some constellations appear correctly as they would from earth, other constellations are reversed left-to-right, as is the overall arrangement of the constellations on the ceiling. Though the astronomical inconsistencies were noticed promptly by a commuter in 1913, they have not been corrected in any of the subsequent renovations of the ceiling.
-- Gear Fujifilm X-PRO1 Samyang 8mm f2.8 Fisheye -- Post Lightroom : HDR photomerge, initial toning and final crop Photoshop: Manual layer blending, sharpening and colour blending NikCollection Color Efex Pro 4: Toning and Detail extraction