Scores of people congregated on the streets of Manhattan in New York Tuesday to witness ‘Manhattanhenge’ with the setting sun peeking from behind skyscraper-lined streets.
In an article for the American Museum of Natural History, Neil deGrasse Tyson, an acclaimed American astrophysicist, explained ‘Manhattanhenge’ as an urban phenomenon in which “the setting Sun aligns precisely with the Manhattan street grid, creating 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 phenomenon occurred twice this year, first on May 29 and then on July 12. After Tuesday’s sunset, social media was filled with beautiful images of ‘Manhattanhenge’.
Happy #Manhattanhenge, lovelies! 🌇 #NYCWithZ #ManhattanhengeJuly11 #CurlyZ pic.twitter.com/s5NAhKWOFC
— Zee Thee Summertime Phantom 👻♨️ (@ZiaJD) July 13, 2022
Few occasions delight me as much as Manhattanhenge — people coming together for just a brief moment to share in something oh, so fleeting… dodging traffic, posing for photos and simply taking it in before everyone scatters once again.
A moment of wonder and order. pic.twitter.com/xX9WzEE15e
— Nancy Chen (@NancyChenNews) July 12, 2022
Another favourite click from yesterday! #Manhattanhenge pic.twitter.com/CgEugzYL9w
— Madhurima Yella (@YellaMadhurima) July 12, 2022
Manhattanhenge. Phone quality 🤷🏼♀️ pic.twitter.com/UqiAFTqDdw
— Edit Karacsony (@editkephoto) July 12, 2022
Let me tell you, it is chaos on 42nd St when there’s #Manhattanhenge pic.twitter.com/8kOgWsBiYz
— d to the erek (@dereksback) July 12, 2022
Very fortunate to be in NYC during #Manhattanhenge – a rare phenomenon where the sun sets exactly over the grid.
It was just stunning 🌇 pic.twitter.com/i3dnBsMgsn
— Emily Murray (@EmilyVMurray) July 12, 2022
#manhattanhenge was underwhelming but the pandemonium was primo pic.twitter.com/EYx04TVndB
— Sarah Natochenny (@sarahnatochenny) July 12, 2022
On the roof today I saw the most beautiful sunset where the light was casting a shadow on the clouds. Turns out the Manhattanhenge sunset is low enough that hits the skyscrapers at enough of an angel to cast a shadow onto the low clouds, creating this amazing view from Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/jmfo4YwJKe
— Nchima (@NchimaKapoma) July 13, 2022
#Manhattanhenge happening #NYC pic.twitter.com/OAjTXFE6Co
— Rehan Chaudhary (@ch_rehaan) July 12, 2022
Devotees at #Manhattanhenge now pic.twitter.com/dHEfl0kmwz
— Khai (@ThamKhaiMeng) July 12, 2022
Sharing pictures of the setting sun, a New York local wrote, “Few occasions delight me as much as Manhattanhenge — people coming together for just a brief moment to share in something oh, so fleeting… dodging traffic, posing for photos and simply taking it in before everyone scatters once again. A moment of wonder and order.”
Another person wrote while tweeting pictures of ‘Manhattanhenge’, “Very fortunate to be in NYC during #Manhattanhenge – a rare phenomenon where the sun sets exactly over the grid. It was just stunning 🌇”.
