It’s a Memorial Day Manhattanhenge. The spectacular sunset that aligns exactly with the Manhattan street grid and only comes twice a year happened for the first time on Monday. The annual moment of magic was visible on May 29 at 8:13 p.m., when a half-sun streamed through major cross streets. The full-sun can be seen on Tuesday at 8:12 p.m., according to the American Museum of Natural History. The next event takes place in July.
Photo by John Gillespie on Flickr cc
Coined by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse, Manhattanhenge, is a play on “Stonehenge,” the circle of stone in England built to align with the sun’s movement. The grid of Manhattan does not run perfectly north-south and east-west because everything is rotated roughly 29 degrees clockwise.
During the summer solstice, the sun will set about 32 degrees north of true west. This means a few weeks before and after the solstice, the sun sets at the same angle as Manhattan’s grid, 29 degrees north of true west.
For the best view of the event, head to Manhattan cross streets like 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd, and 57th Streets. The experts at AMNH recommending finding a spot as far east as possible but that “still has views of New Jersey across the Hudson River.”
Other spot to see Manhattanhenge include the Tudor City Overpass near the United Nations and Hunters Point South in Long Island City, Queens.
The Manhattanhenge dates and times for 2023 are as follows:
- Monday, May 29, 8:13 p.m. (half-sun)
- Tuesday, May 30, 8:12 p.m. (full-sun)
- Thursday, July 13, 8:21 p.m. (half-sun)
- Wednesday, July 12, 8:20 p.m. (full-sun)
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