It’s Manhattanhenge: Sunset to align with cross streets Friday, Saturday
The sun sets along 42nd Street in Manhattan during an annual phenomenon known as "Manhattanhenge," when the sun aligns perfectly with the city's transit grid, Wednesday, May 29, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
If you’re a JSHN contributor, you know that I’m a sunset aficionado.
So that’s why it’s my pleasure to remind you that Manhattanhenge, the biannual event when the sunset will align perfectly with the borough’s cross streets, is tomorrow and Saturday.
Why is a Jersey Shore reporter talking about Manhattan? Well, many of us work or visit there, so if you’re leaving late from work or happy hour, here’s your chance to see something cool.
According to the American Museum of Natural History, arrive at the following locations about 30 minutes before 8:12 p.m.:
For best effect, position yourself as far east in Manhattan as possible. But ensure that when you look west across the avenues you can still see New Jersey. Clear cross streets include 14th, 23rd, 34th. 42nd, 57th, and several streets adjacent to them. The Empire State building and the Chrysler building render 34th street and 42nd streets especially striking vistas.
It’s a term derived from England’s Stonehenge, “where the sun aligns with the stones on the solstices with a similarly dramatic effect,” according to Wikipedia. More from the Internet’s encyclopedia:
The word was popularized in 2002 by Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History. The term applies to those streets that follow the Commissioners’ Plan of 1811, which are laid out in a grid offset 29.0 degrees from true east–west.
If you miss this week’s occurrence, your last and final shot for 2015 is July 12 and 13 at 8:20 p.m.
Happy sunset viewing!
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