It’s that time of year again when crosstown traffic stalls on some of Manhattan’s main thoroughfares as thousands of New Yorkers crane their eyes and their cameras to get a perfect glimpse of the setting sun framed by the city skyline.
Manhattanhenge is a phenomenon that happens twice a year — roughly three weeks before and after the summer solstice — when the sunset perfectly aligns with the island’s street grid. The construction of England’s Stonehenge is thought to have astrological significance and Neil deGrasse Tyson, head of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, posits that future archaeologists may one day assume the same of Manhattan.
Like worshippers of ancient times, tourists, residents, photographers and passersby gather at a few different locations to watch nature interact with the modern marvels of urban planning. The celestial event kicks off Tuesday May 28th, with half the sun lining up with the grid. The first full sun moment of this year will take place tomorrow, May 29th.
The next time the event takes place will be Friday, July 12th and 13th only the order is reversed: full sun on the 12th and half sun on the 13th.
“These two days happen to correspond with Memorial Day and Baseball’s All Star break,” deGrasse Tyson wrote on the American Museum of Natural History’s website. “Future anthropologists might conclude that, via the Sun, the people who called themselves Americans worshiped War and Baseball.”
Here are the best times and places to watch the drama unfold this year. Remember to bring sunglasses, and watch out for cars:
When:
Half Sun on the Grid:
- Tuesday, May 28 at 8:13 pm ET
- Saturday, July 13 8:21 at 8:21 pm ET
Full Sun on the Grid:
- Wednesday, May 29 at 8:12 pm ET
- Friday, July 12 at 8:20 pm ET
Where:
The best views are from Manhattan’s main east/west thoroughfares:
- 14th Street
- 23rd Street
- 34th Street
- 42nd Street
- 57th Street
Some other good places to watch the sunset:
- Tudor City Overpass, Manhattan
- Hunter’s Point South Park in Long Island City, Queens.
Reposted from The Gothamist
