The main national moment of silence for 9/11 is observed each year on September 11 at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Time , marking the time when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center in 2001.

Key Times on 9/11

At the National September 11 Memorial & Museum ceremony in New York City, multiple moments of silence are held to correspond to the major events of the attacks.

These are the standard times (all Eastern Time):

  • 8:46 a.m. – Flight 11 hits the North Tower (first and most widely observed moment of silence).
  • 9:03 a.m. – Flight 175 hits the South Tower.
  • 9:37 a.m. – Flight 77 hits the Pentagon.
  • 9:59 a.m. – Collapse of the South Tower.
  • 10:03 a.m. – Flight 93 crashes near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
  • 10:28 a.m. – Collapse of the North Tower.

Across New York City and many other places, the 8:46 a.m. moment is the one most commonly used for a general public pause and bell tolling.

How it’s marked today

  • The official memorial ceremony in Lower Manhattan usually starts around 8:30 a.m. , with the first moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. and additional moments following that schedule.
  • Many cities, fire departments, and local governments also hold their own observances, often choosing 8:46 a.m. or 9:11 a.m. as symbolic times for a communal moment of silence.

If you simply want to participate personally, the most appropriate and widely recognized time is to pause for a moment of silence on September 11 at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Time in remembrance of the victims and first responders.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.