Overview

• On May 28 at 8:13 pm ET and May 29 at 8:12 pm ET, the setting sun aligned precisely with Manhattan’s east–west streets to create half-sun and full-sun views framed by skyscrapers.
• The term “Manhattanhenge” was coined by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson in 1997 after he observed a Stonehenge-like solar alignment within New York’s street grid.
• Spectators and photographers gathered along 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd and 57th Streets as well as Tudor City Overpass and Hunter’s Point South Park to capture the golden-hour spectacle.
• Manhattanhenge remains a self-organized event that depends on clear skies and draws crowds to sidewalks without any formal planning or ticketing.
• Similar solar alignments occur in Chicago, Baltimore and Toronto around the equinoxes, but Manhattanhenge is noted for its dramatic urban canyon of high-rise buildings.