Photo: AFP
For a few weeks every spring/summer in New York City, the sunset perfectly aligns with the street grid of Manhattan in a phenomenon affectionately dubbed 'Manhattanhenge,' a reference to England's mysterious Stonehenge landmark.
In the Big Apple, 'Manhattanhenge' occurs a few weeks before and after the summer solstice, washing the city in a unique, warm west-to-east light before the sun then appears to sink into the Hudson River.
The best spots to view 'Manhattanhenge' are generally the borough's longest east-west roads, like 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd and 57th streets, along with parts of Long Island City, Queens. The farther east one goes, however, the more striking the view.
People generally begin gathering in position about 30 minutes before sunset, which will take place tonight and Tuesday at about 8:20 p.m.
While the 'Manhattanhenge' alignment with NYC's skyscrapers is believed to be a coincidence of city planning (unlike the intentional placement of the ancient Stonehenge monoliths), the term itself was coined in 1997 by astrophysicist, Hayden Planetarium director and native New Yorker Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Similar 'henge' effects occur in other North American cities with uniform street grids, including Chicago, Baltimore and Toronto, although New York is the only major U.S. city where people can enjoy the phenomenon in the summertime.