New York City remembered 9/11 victims by illuminating the sky with searchlights projecting upward last night as part of the annual Tribute in Light. The 88 lights were divided into two columns to signify both buildings that fell as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Spectators arrived at the waterfront on the Hudson River in New Jersey and along the East River in Queens and Brooklyn to take in the view while others stopped on street corners in Manhattan to take photos and talk about the occasion.
The lights were switched off several times during the night to allow migrating birds to become oriented after becoming trapped in the beams of light. The New York Audubon Society worked with the Municipal Art Society and the city after it was noted that the lights were causing this problem. The birds can be seen in one photo in this series.
Fritz Koenig's sculpture The Sphere was also illuminated throughout the night in Battery Park. It once stood between the Trade Center towers and was heavily damaged but recovered in the wreckage after the attacks. It was designed to symbolize world peace and, despite the visible damage, also now portrays a sense of durability and resolution. It can be seen in the last photo in this series.