Manhattanhenge

Manhattanhenge
Tourists observing the July 2016 Manhattanhenge on 42nd Street
GenreAstronomical alignment
DatesAround May 28 and July 13
FrequencyTwice annually
Location(s)Manhattan, New York City
CountryUnited States

Manhattanhenge, also called the Manhattan Solstice,[1] is an event during which the setting sun or the rising sun is aligned with the east–west streets of the main street grid of Manhattan, New York City. The astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson claims to have coined the term, by analogy with Stonehenge. The sunsets and sunrises each align twice a year, on dates evenly spaced around the summer solstice and winter solstice. The sunset alignments occur around May 28 and July 13. The sunrise alignments occur around December 5 and January 8.

Manhattan has a phenomenon of this kind due to its extensive urban canyons and its rectilinear street grid that is rotated 29° clockwise from true east–west.[2] Many streets align with the view of the Manhattanhenge including 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd, and 57th Streets.[3]

  1. ^ Jenkins, Alejandro (2013). "The Sun's position in the sky". European Journal of Physics. 34 (3): 633–652. arXiv:1208.1043. Bibcode:2013EJPh...34..633J. doi:10.1088/0143-0807/34/3/633. S2CID 119282288.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Petzold was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Manhattanhenge 2020". rove.me.