Manhattanhenge, a sunset that aligns perfectly with the city's street grid, comes to New York for the last time this year at 8:20 p.m. on Tuesday.
The term "Manhattanhenge" was popularized by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who described it as "a radiant glow of light across Manhattan's brick and steel canyons, simultaneously illuminating both the north and south sides of every cross street of the borough’s grid,"
The Huffington Post reported, referring to an American Museum of Natural History blog written by him.
The sun is perfectly aligned with the street grid for two days twice a year straddling the summer solstice. The phenomenon is reminiscent of Stonehenge in England, where the summer solstice can be seen in perfect alignment with the monument's vertical stones.
Other cities with east-west street grids have similar events, including Chicagohenge, Bostonhenge, Phillyhenge, Torontohenge and Montrealhenge,
The New York Times reported.
"If your streets are anywhere close to east or west, my default statement is you’re going to have a 'henge.' You just need to find out when," Shane Larson, an astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, told the Times.
Manhattanhenge can be best viewed from the east part of the city looking west to New Jersey.
"Clear cross streets include 14th, 23rd, 34th. 42nd, 57th, and several streets adjacent to them,"
Tyson wrote on the AMNH website. "The Empire State building and the Chrysler building render 34th street and 42nd streets especially striking vistas."
Twitter users shared their appreciation for the phenomenon and stunning photos of Monday's event.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.