New Yorkers, whether long-time residents or tourists claiming the city for the day or week, should get their cameras ready as the last "Manhattanhenge" of the year is set to happen this evening, July 13.
At 8:20 p.m on Sunday, July 12, the second-to-the-last glorious sunset of the year lighted every cross street of Manhattan amid the cloudy skies. Many people waiting for the magnificent view held up their cameras to take a photo. For those who weren't able to catch it, Monday night will be the last chance.
Not all people are familiar with this rare New York-based sky magic. Is it an eclipse? A celestial phenomenon? Or a mere scientific happening that occurs by chance? Manhattanhenge occurs when the sun lines up with the street intersections before it sets. The event's name came from Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist and the director of the Hayden Planetarium. He came up with this term in 2001, after getting inspiration from the similar effect at Stonehenge, a Neolithic English structure that signifies the shift in seasons as characterized by the alignment of the sun between the historic circle of stones during the solstice.
While the best sun-stone alignments at Stonehenge happen at the true solstices, Manhattan's street grid is imperfectly aligned with the directions of the compass. So Manhattanhenge occurs not when the sun sets at true west, but rather when it sets 30 degrees off from true west, Tyson explains.
Acording to Tyson, for the two days the sun sets on the grid, on the first day "half the disk sits above and half below the horizon. My personal preference for photographs. But the day after also offers Manhattanhenge moments, but at sunset, you instead will find the entire ball of the sun on the horizon."
The first Manhattanhenge for 2015 happened during the latter part of May. At that time, a surge of spectators flocked to the streets of Manhattan to capture images of the sun's amazing presentation. As it is a mere sunset, getting a good photo of the Manhattanhenge doesn't necessarily have to be aided by advanced photography applications or effects.
Tyson also has tips regarding the best places in Manhattan to capture the perfect image. According to him, there are various streets in Manhattan where people can get the best views, including 14th, 23rd, and 42nd, with special mentions given to 34th and 57th streets as the most notable cross streets, where the Empire State Building and the Chrysler building are featured beautifully, as well as several streets adjacent to those cross streets. For a different angle, Metro New York recommends staying slightly atop the Tudor City Bridge.
Prior to the most anticipated last Manhattanhenge on Monday, a presentation will be held at the Hayden Planetarium, where astrophysicist Jackie Flaherty will explain the details of the historical and scientific phenomenon enveloping Manhattanhenge.
Social media accounts have already been filled with photos from Sunday's Manhattanhenge. Today, more images are expected to circulate as New Yorkers and tourists capture more images of the city magnificently illuminated by the golden sun.
Photo: Katie Killary | Flickr
