“Manhattanhenge” is back and you can catch it Memorial Day evening, if you’re quick about it.
Manhattanhenge refers to the celestial phenomenon when the setting sun aligns perfectly with Manhattan’s street grid, creating radiant glows of orange and pink light across the streets – along with hoards of pedestrians clogging intersections.
It happens four times a year, starting Monday at 8:13 p.m. At some glorious moment, the top half of the sun will appear to touch down on the middle of the street grid. It gets better on Tuesday, starting at about 8:12 p.m., when the full glowing orb will appear to kiss the pavement.
The name is a nod to England’s Stonehenge, the prehistoric circle of large vertical rocks. On the summer solstice, the sun rises in perfect alignment with some of the stones, signaling the seasonal change.
In Manhattan, the spectacle is possible because of the borough’s clear view to the horizon across the Hudson River and owing as well to the design of the street grid, which is rotated 30 degrees east from geographic north.
However, if the grid were perfectly aligned with the geographic north and south line, Manhattanhenge would happen on the equinoxes, the first day of spring and of autumn, according to the American Museum of Natural History.
The best spot to see the celestial spectacle is anywhere above 14th Street and below 155th Street, as far east as possible. The most popular location is on 42nd street, where some gawkers stand in the middle of the street for the full effect.
Beware of passing vehicles.
The Manhattanhenge is also visible outside of Manhattan, including Hunter’s Point South Park in Long Island City, Queens.
Don’t sweat it if you’re tied up Memorial Day evening. Manhattanhenge will happen again on July 12 and 13, with a full sun and half sun on each day.
