Manhattanhenge is when the sun sets directly through the center of Manhattan cross streets, lighting both the north and south sides.
Manhattanhenge is just four times a year, when the sun is directly in line with the Manhattan street grid. It happens twice in the end of May and twice in mid-July.
Manhattanhenge is a play on words for Stonehenge. And it’s fascinating to see, with or without a camera and tripod.
The Hayden Planetarium’s Neil deGrasse Tyson, who coined the word, calls it a unique urban phenomenon in the world, if not the universe.
Manhattanhenge starts at just after 8PM, when the sun appears on the western edge of east-west numbered NYC streets, washing the space between the two sides of the street in a golden orange light until the actual sunset.
Here are the dates for Manhattanhenge 2018
TUESDAY, MAY 29, AT 8:13 PM EDT (HALF SUN)
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, AT 8:12 PM EDT (FULL SUN)
THURSDAY, JULY 12, AT 8:20 PM EDT (FULL SUN)
FRIDAY, JULY 13, AT 8:21 PM EDT (HALF SUN)
Click here for the best places to see Manhattanhenge
Get another view of Manhattanhenge from Long Island City, where it’s called LIC Henge.
Join the Hunters Point Parks Conservancy on May 28 for the unique view of the sun through the street grid, with the added bonus of the reflection off the East River.
Come early this year for a special performance by Encore, a touring show choir from Do Re Mi School of the Arts in Scottsdale, AZ. Performance will begin at 7:00 p.m.
HPPC is also running a photo contest. Tag your photos #LICHENGE on Twitter and Instagram @LICWATERFRONT for a chance to win a $50 gift card.
Also again this year, the American Museum of Natural History has several special Manhattanhenge programs at the Hayden Planetarium.
On July 12, the Hayden Planetarium will also be hosting a public program highlighting the history and astronomy of this spectacle.
Starting at 7 pm, Jackie Faherty, a research associate in the Museum’s Department of Astrophysics, will give a special presentation followed by a viewing of the event at 79th Street. Tickets are $15, $13.50 for for seniors and students.
BTW – The term “Manhattanhenge” was coined by Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium, as a play on Stonehenge, where the Sun aligns with the stones on the sunrise of the summer solstice with a similarly dramatic effect.
Let’s hope for picture postcard weather, instead of cloudy or rainy.
photo courtesy Technology Weekly
This posting about Manhattanhenge has been published annually since 2014 and is updated annually.
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