Thousands of lights filled the sky over New York Harbor on the night of Wednesday, Sept. 9, creating a striking tribute to the nearly 3,000 people killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The commemorative aerial display, called "2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor," used one light to honor each victim killed during the attacks. The drone lights moved through the night sky before coming together to recreate the Twin Towers, with the One World Trade Center visible nearby.
The display was unveiled ahead of Friday's 25th anniversary of the attacks and unfolded over Lower Manhattan as New York's annual "Tribute in Light" illuminated the area around the World Trade Center site.
Watch the breathtaking drone footage
The meaning behind the drone display
The public art installation was designed not just to recreate the
Twin Towers; organizers said the lights were meant to represent individual lives, gathering together as a constellation before forming a larger memorial.
The project was developed with members of 9/11 victims' families, survivors and responder communities, including the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).
The display was also paired with music chosen for reflection, featuring works by Philip Glass, Max Richter and John Adams' "On the Transmigration of Souls."
"This is a moment of remembrance for the families who have lived with this for twenty-five years," Rick Boss, CEO of Sky Elements, a producer of the installation, said in a statement. "Everything in the sky over New York is for them."
Why 2,977 lights?
The number of lights represents the 2,977 people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks. The total includes people killed at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania, as well as passengers and crew members aboard the four hijacked planes. It does not include the 19 hijackers.
The attacks killed people from 90 countries, including 441 first responders.
Twenty-five years later, the effects of the attacks continue to be felt by survivors, responders and families. Thousands of people have suffered illnesses and other health effects connected to exposure at Ground Zero and other 9/11-related sites.
For everyone involved in the installation, it offers another way to remember those who died by honoring them in the night sky above the New York Harbor.
"Like the landscape of New York City, memory and understanding of history are also shaped by and reflect constant change, but art can help convey information, feelings and understanding of past events from one generation to the next," Brenda Berkman, an artist who worked as a FDNY first responder in 2001, said in a statement.
Berkman added: "Twenty-five years after 9/11, 100 million Americans have no memory of their own of that day. I hope this new tribute will help bring insight into 9/11 to that new generation."
Contributing: USA TODAY reporters Melina Khan and Saleen Martin
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com or on X @athompsonUSAT.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch 2,977 lights honor 9/11 victims by recreating the Twin Towers
