Sun Turns NYC into ‘Manhattanhenge’ Tonight
Image: The view of the 2005 Manhattanhenge from Long Island City in Queens. Credit: Hhawk | wikicommons
New Yorkers will be treated to a splendid sight this evening (July 12): It’s one of two days a year when the setting sun aligns perfectly with Manhattan’s street grid. As the sun sets on the Big Apple, it will illuminate both the north and south sides of every cross street.
The event has been dubbed “Manhattanhenge” for the way it turns New York City into a Stonehenge-like sun dial.
The sun sets perfectly in line with the Manhattan street grid twice a year, explains astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson on the Hayden Planetarium website. The first round of Manhattanhenge 2012 happened at dusk on May 29. The peak viewing time for tonight’s repeat event is 8:25 p.m. EDT.
