The phenomenon unique to New York City is back, and maybe this time Mother Nature will cooperate and let us catch a glimpse of this beautiful occurrence!
May’s Manhattanhenge was ruined by poor weather and a blanket of clouds, but we have our fingers crossed that the weather will remain beautiful through next week, just long enough for us to witness the magic that is Manhattanhenge.
For those who aren’t aware of what this is, the phenomenon takes places twice a year when the sunset perfect aligns with Manhattan’s street grid. Due to the alignment, the sunlight illuminates every cross street on the north and south sides of the boroughs.
You can catch this beautiful moment next Friday, July 12th at 8:21 p.m. and Saturday, July 13th at 8:20 p.m. The “full sun” will be visible on Friday and the “half sun” will be visible on Saturday meaning the sun will either be half below/above or fully over the horizon.
The best streets to catch the the phenomena (wide enough for the best shots/views) are as far east as possible in Manhattan, on:
- 14th Street
- 23rd Street
- 34th Street (if you want to catch the Empire State Building in your picture)
- 42nd Street
- 57th Street
TIPS: Turn off your flash, you’ll want the sun alone without any glare caused by a bright flash. Don’t bother zooming, and you wont need an Instagram filter.
Neil deGrasse Tyson, the discoverer of Manhattanhenge, declared the event to be “a unique urban phenomenon in the world, if not the universe.”
featured image source: istockphoto.com