Explainer: What is Manhattanhenge? Why does it take place?

New Delhi: It’s time to witness the iconic moment, Manhattanhenge. It is a phenomenon when the setting sun aligns with the Manhattan line of the street and covers the city into a rosy coloured glow. The last two Manhattanhenge sunsets of 2022 occurred Monday and Tuesday. Below are some interesting facts you need to know about Manhattanhenge.

Where does the name Manhattanhenge come from?

The term Manhattanhenge was first coined in the 1997 article Natural History by Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. According to Tyson, who was the director of the Hayden Planetarium at New York’s American Museum of Natural History he came up with the term after being inspired by a visit to Stonehenge as a teenager.

Besides, the future host of TV shows like “Nova ScienceNow” by PBS was also part of an expedition which was led by Gerald Hawkins, the scientist who was first known to theorise Stonehenge’s mysterious megaliths as an ancient astronomical observatory.

Tyson who was a native New Yorker wondered that the setting sun that covered Manhattan’s highrises could only be compared to the sun’s rays striking the center of the Stonehenge circle on the solstice.

The planners who worked out on Manhattan did not concentrate on channelling the sun, unlike the Neolithic Stonehenge builders. It happened to work out naturally.

What is Manhattanhenge?

This year, Manhattanhenge did not take place on the summer solstice which was scheduled to happen on June 21. Rather it happened three weeks before the solstice and again after three weeks. This is when the sun touches the grid of the urban city’s east-west streets.

In 2022, peak Manhattanhenge occurred on May 30 at 8:12 PM and again took place at 8:20 PM on Monday. This is when the full sun touched the highrise buildings just before sinking into the Hudson River.

Days before and after May 29 and July 12, the top half of the sun’s disk sits above the horizon and the top half is below at the precise moment of alignment.

Where can Manhattanhenge be seen?

Notably, the traditional viewing spots include the city’s broad east-west thoroughfares: 14th Street, 23rd Street, 34th Street, 42nd Street, and 57th Street. Going more towards the east, the scene becomes more dramatic, with sun rays hitting the building façade on either of the sides. Besides, it is also possible to see Manhattanhenge across the East River in the Long Island City section of Queens.

Is Manhattanhenge an organised event?

There are several Manhattanhenge viewing parties. San Pellegrino, the beverage company hosted an “exclusive Manhattanhenge celebration” on a bridge spreading across East 42th Street in 2018.

However, mostly, people gather around east-west streets half an hour or so before sunset and take photos of approaching dusk, only when the weather is fine. Besides, there’s no visibility of Manhattanhenge if it’s a cloudy or rainy day.

Do other cities experience ‘henges’?

Several other cities experience henges with uniform street grids. Chicagohenge and Baltimorehenge occur when the setting sun lines up with the grid systems in those cities during March and September, which is along Spring time and fall equinoxes. Moreover, Torontohenge occurs around February 16 and October 25.

However, Manhattanhenge is exceptionally beautiful owing to the height of the buildings and the unobstructive path to the Hudson.