Only twice a year, New York locals and tourists alike gather to witness the spectacular event known as Manhattanhenge.
This phenomenon, named after the U.K.'s Stonehenge, occurs when the setting sun aligns perfectly with the east-west streets of Manhattan's grid, creating a radiant view of the sunset being framed by the high-rise buildings of the city.
Occurring this year on May 28 and 29, and again on July 12 and 13, this event usually happens in late May and mid-July, around three weeks before and after the summer solstice. The summer solstice occurs on June 20 or June 21, when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun, and happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere.
The Manhattanhenge phenomenon will be best visible at 8:12 p.m., on May 29. The May 28 displays only showed half the sun framed by the skyscrapers, which will also occur on July 13, while the May 29 show and the July 12 phenomenon will have the whole sun on view along the east-west streets as it sets.
To best experience Manhattanhenge, position yourself as far east as possible while maintaining a clear view of New Jersey across the Hudson River. 14th Street, 23rd Street, 34th Street, 42nd Street, 57th Street and 145th Street are known to be prime locations to watch the sunset.
Another popular viewing spot is the Tudor City Overpass on 42nd Street, and Hunter's Point South Park in Long Island City, Queens.
"It is all about the angle. If you go off the grid by even a degree you will be out of alignment," Jacqueline Faherty, an astrophysicist from the American Museum of Natural History in New York, previously told Newsweek.
"As long as you can see all the way across Manhattan to New Jersey, you will catch the event. I always tell people to decide by their favorite buildings and then map out a safe way to find yourself in the middle of the street."
Flanking the winter solstice, the sunrise instead is framed by these same streets in December and January, in what is often called a "reverse Manhattanhenge." This is generally less popular than the summer display, however, drawing fewer crowds.
Unfortunately, the summer weather hasn't pulled through this year, and clouds are forecast to cover the majority of the skies in New York City at 8 p.m. this evening, according to a National Weather Service forecast.
This phenomenon was first dubbed "Manhattanhenge" by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, after the U.K.'s Stonehenge and how the sun aligns with the famous Heel Stone on the summer solstice.
"In the 1800s a plan was put in place to guide the development of the island and the commissioners at that time decided to create 90 degree angles with the cross streets which happen to face (in general) east-west," Faherty said. "When they did that, they created a bullseye for the sun to hit when it sets on or around May 29 and July 11."
Other cities experience similar phenomena where the sun aligns with the east-west street grids at sunrise or sunset. Chicagohenge and Baltimorehenge take place near the spring and autumn equinoxes in March and September, while Torontohenge occurs in February and October, with these date variations arising because of the slight differences in the orientation of the east-west streets.
If a city's streets were aligned precisely along the north-south and east-west axes, the phenomenon would occur exactly on the spring and autumn equinoxes, around March 20 and September 23.
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