If you missed the last Manhattanhenge in May, you still have a chance to see it tonight and tomorrow night at sunset.
In 1997, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson invented the term Manhattanhenge to describe the visual effect of the sun setting in perfect alignment with Manhattan’s grid and framed by its renowned skyscrapers.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, astronomer and director of the Hayden Planetarium at New York’s American Museum of Natural History, wrote, “Beyond the grid, you need a clear view to the horizon, as Manhattan has beyond the Hudson River to New Jersey.”
And tall structures that border the streets frame the setting sun with a vertical channel.
He continued, “Manhattanhenge may be the only urban occurrence of its kind in the world, if not the universe.
Tyson, a native New Yorker, was struck by the similarity between the setting sun framed by Manhattan’s skyscrapers and the solstice sun striking the middle of the Stonehenge circle.
Manhattanhenge does not occur on the summer solstice, which occurred on June 21 this year; rather, it occurs approximately three weeks before and three weeks after.
The peak Manhattanhenge will occur at 8:20 p.m. on Monday when the sun will appear to hover between buildings immediately before setting over the Hudson River.
On May 29 and July 12 of this year, the top half of the sun’s disc is above the horizon and the bottom half is below the horizon at the exact instant of alignment.
The greatest vantage points for viewing Manhattanhenge are along the city’s principal east-west streets, including 14th Street, 23rd Street, 34th Street, 42nd Street, and 57th Street.
As one travels eastward, the sun’s rays striking building facades provide an increasingly spectacular sight.
It is also feasible to view Manhattanhenge from Long Island City, Queens, across the East River.
People congregate on east-west streets approximately half an hour before sunset and take numerous photographs as darkness approaches.
Although similar effects occur in other cities, such as Chicago and Baltimore, none are as well-known as those of New York, due mostly to the heightened contrast between the sun and the high concentration of tall buildings.
However, Manhattanhenge is especially stunning due to the height of the towers and the clear path to the Hudson.
