Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist, author, science communicator and the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, coined the term Manhattanhenge in 2002, giving New York the honor of hosting an urban Stonehenge effect. Because of the layout of the Manhattan streets that follow the Commissioners’ Plan of 1811 (which are laid out in a grid offset 29.0 degrees from true east–west), at two key times during the year the sun aligns with the grid to shine clearly across the famous steel canyons of New York.
Manhattanhenge, photographed by Sahadeva Hammari
At 8:25PM (local time in NYC) on July 12, 2014, if you stand on a Manhattan street watching the sun set, the sun will sit halfway on the horizon, glowing even light on both North and South sides of the street. Major cross streets, such as 34th Street, 42nd Street, 57th Street, (which are below Central Park, cutting off the view from East to West) should produce wonderful sights as you look towards New Jersey.
If you can, please share your pics with VizWorld.com, via links in comments or on Facebook. We’re planning on shooting a few ourselves, as well as trying to capture the view in 4K video as well, cameras and weather permitting.
[…] Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist, author, science communicator and the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, coined the term Manhattanhenge in 2002, giving New York the honor of hosting an urban Stonehenge effect. Because of the layout of the Manhattan streets that follow the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 (which are laid out in a grid offset 29.0 degrees from true east–west), at two key times during the year the sun aligns with the grid to shine clearly across the famous steel canyons of New York. Manhattanhenge, photographed by Sahadeva Hammari At 8:25PM (local time in NYC) on July 12, 2014, if you stand on a Manhattan street watching the sun set, the sun will sit halfway on the horizon, glowing even light on both North and South sides of the street. Major cross streets, such as 34th Street, 42nd Street, 57th Street, (which are below Central Park, cutting off the view from East to West) should produce wonderful sights as you look towards New Jersey. If you can, […]