The annual Manhattanhenge event is upon us, a series of four evenings where the sun perfectly aligns with New York City's street grid, and New Yorkers congregate in intersections to capture it. The good news is the intersections will have less vehicular traffic this year, the bad news is, well, we're in the epicenter of a global pandemic where we are not supposed to be near other humans (or outside of our homes, really).
Astrophysicist Jackie Faherty, with the American Museum of Natural History, told Gothamist, "During this time when social distancing is critical, I encourage people who are outside at sunset to find a more off the beaten track street. The grid of Manhattan offers great views of this astronomical event from as far south as 14th street to as far north as Washington Heights. As long as you can see west across the Hudson and New Jersey, you won’t miss the event. Any given street on the grid of Manhattan might be a precious viewing gem."
2020 Manhattanhenge Dates
May 29th (half sun)
May 30th (full sun)
July 11th (half sun)
July 12th (full sun)
Faherty added that there's an important and under-appreciated phenomenon that she calls "the Manhattanhenge effect." Here's how that plays out:
While the first Manhattanhenge date is May 29th and the last is July 12th, the days between those two events also capture the Sun between the buildings. I sometimes call the May Manhattanhenge the "Welcome to the Grid" event for the Sun since every day after the May event the Sun will cross between the buildings at some point before it sets (it will just be higher than the "kiss moment"). From May until the Summer solstice — the moment that we have reached our longest day — the Sun will reach higher and higher between your buildings. Then from the Summer solstice through the July event the Sun will be lower and lower and lower when it crosses the buildings. Until we say “Goodbye to the grid” for the Sun and it will not cross again until the following year.
In other words, you can experience Manhattanhenge on some level on these less crowded days—"close to the actual dates, many can’t quite discern the difference" between an official Manhattanhenge sunet or the Manhattanhenge effect.
These natural events, particularly those pertaining to the sky, can be quite comforting in times of uncertainty (it's like the comfort found in watching the movie Interstellar). Faherty says a thought she keeps coming back to when thinking of this year's Manhattanhenge "is that the Earth moving around the Sun has no idea about the situation on the ground. Astronomical events carry on regardless of what humans are doing. The sun rises and sets as it always does. Manhattanhenge is synonymous with summer in New York City for me. While I can not celebrate it the way I love to, it is not an event that can be canceled. I’m comforted because I know that it will be there next year, the year after, and so on."
If you plan to witness the event in person, please do so with a mask on and by practicing social distancing.
