Manhattanhenge: New Yorkers gather for city spectacle - BBC

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The Sun sets in alignment with Manhattan streets running east-west, also known as Manhattanhenge, in New York City on May 30, 2023

By Chloe Kim

BBC News

New Yorkers gathered for one of the two annual spectacles of Manhattanhenge on Tuesday evening.

The city's famous grid system framed the setting sun, casting a warm glow over the concrete jungle.

The phenomenon typically draws thousands of onlookers, tourists and locals alike, who vie to capture the perfect image.

The first night of Manhattanhenge happened on Monday, with only half the setting sun on view.

On Tuesday, the full sun was on display between the skyscrapers at sunset.

The next time to catch the show will be in July.

What is Manhattanhenge?

This is when the sunset aligns perfectly with Manhattan's skyscrapers, which were built on the city's street grid layout.

Similar "henge" phenomena also occur in other cities with large amounts of skyscrapers and long straight streets - such as Chicago, Montreal and Toronto.

People stand on 42nd Street in Times Square as they photograph the second evening of the Manhattanhenge sunset on May 30, 2023, in New York City

People take photographs of the sunset at 42nd Street in Times Square on one of the four evenings of the year referred to as “Manhattanhenge” when the sun aligns perfectly through spaces between buildings of the New York City street grid on May 30, 2023

As far as sunset goes, the event happens in May and July, and for two nights each. There's also a sunrise version that occurs in the winter.

It happens about three weeks before and three weeks after the summer solstice.

Who coined the term?

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson first used the term Manhattanhenge in 1997, inspired by its likeness to Stonehenge, where the sun aligns with concentric circles of vertical stones on each of the solstices.

People stand on 42nd Street in Times Square as they photograph the second evening of the Manhattanhenge sunset on May 30, 2023

"As a kid, I visited Stonehenge in the Salisbury Plain of England and did research on other stone monuments across the British Isles. It was deep within me," says deGrasse Tyson.

"So I was, in a way, imprinted by the emotional power that terrestrial alignments with the Sun can have on a culture or civilisation."

How do you see it next time?

It will happen next on 12 July at 20:20 and on 13 July at 20:21 local time.

Viewers above 14th Street and below 155th Street can catch the spectacle.

Thousands of New Yorkers and tourists flooded the streets of Manhattan to capture the sunset during the 'Manhattanhenge' in New York, United States on May 29, 2023

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation recommends these streets for a great view: 57th Street, 42nd Street, 34th Street, 23rd Street and 14th Street.

While 42nd Street is a popular viewing spot, any east-west street will offer a generally good view - just be sure to head as far east as possible.