Yesterday was ‘Manhattanhenge’ here in New York City. The picture above was taken at last year’s sun-down at the same time of year…
This event happens twice a year, when the setting sun lines up perfectly with the alignment of Manhattan’s street grid. I guess the origin of the ‘Manhattanhenge’ name comes from the fact that the sun aligns with the stones at Stonehenge at certain times of year.
There are actually two days to each instance of Manhattanhenge. One day happens when you look down the streets and see the sun perfectly lined up with the centre of the street, and half the sun is above the horizon. On the next day (like yesterday) you look down the street and see the sun perfectly lined up with the centre of the street with the full sun just above the horizon.
The dates of Manhattanhenge would perfectly match with the spring and autumn equinoxes if the street grid was perfectly north south / east west – however due to the slant (28.9 degrees of offset, if you must know), the dates don’t correspond.
The picture above was taken looking west down 42nd Street in New York, in the middle of the street on a pedestrian crossing. Called for one eye on the camera and one eye on the traffic!
The next Manhattanhenge will be (full sun) Saturday 11th July and (half sun) Sunday 12th July 2009. The Hayden Planetarium’s ‘Manhattanhenge’ page here gives the dates and exact times every year, and more info about the event.
Canon EOS-1D Mark III
1/30 sec at f/8.0
ISO 400
27mm
Related Posts:
Stonehenge – A Background of Stonehenge
Earth Hour in New York City – Empire State Building
