This monday and tuesday NY once again enjoy one of its best sunsets thanks to the so-called “Manhattanhenge”, a phenomenon that occurs when the sunset aligns with the grid in which the streets of the city center are arranged.
This coincidence leaves spectacular images of the sun “pointed” between the skyscrapers of the Big Apple every year, and it is a fixed appointment for thousands of photography fans, who flock to the points with the best visibility to capture their snapshots, according to a report by efe.
This Monday, when looking west on the grid of Manhattan half of the solar disk can be seen at sunset perfectly framed by the streets, while tomorrow, Tuesday, a full view of the sun can be enjoyed.
Weather forecasts with (today Monday is a holiday in the United States) make this year an especially good time to witness the phenomenon.
The “Manhattanhenge”, which receives its name from a play on words with the prehistoric monument of England Stonehenge, occurs four days each year and this time it will repeat on July 12 and 13.
The dates vary each year due to the grid on which the streets of Manhattan are laid out. If the design were perfectly aligned north-south, the phenomenon would occur with the equinoxes, according to the well-known American astrophysicist and writer Neil deGrasse Tyson in an article for the Museum of Natural History in New York.
Are you ready for Manhattanhenge? This phenomenon occurs when the setting Sun aligns precisely with the city’s street grid to create a radiant glow of light across New York’s brick-and-steel canyons. It will be at its peak on May 30 at 8:12 pm ET and July 12 at 8:20 pm ET. pic.twitter.com/VH6brEdcsQ
— American Museum of Natural History (@AMNH) May 28, 2023
While other grid-based cities have similar moments, the height of Manhattan’s buildings and the fact that there are unobstructed views of the skyline to the Hudson River from many points make New York look unique, he says. efe.
According to experts, the best points to witness the spectacle are the widest streets in Manhattan in an east-west direction (14, 23, 42 and 57).
