July 15, 2011: Manhattanhenge

[glatt]

On the Manhattan solstice, the setting sun aligns with the east–west streets of the main street grid in Manhattan. Manhattanhenge is similar to Stonehenge, where the sun aligns with the stones on the solstices. It applies to streets that follow the Commissioners' Plan of 1811, which are laid out in a grid offset 29.0 degrees from true east–west.

The Manhattan solstice happens twice a year, around the true summer solstice. This year it occurred on May 31st, 21 days before the actual summer solstice, and earlier this week on July 13th, 21 days after the actual summer solstice.

It's apparently becoming more and more popular since it was popularized in 2002 by Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History. The good viewing spots on bridges become crowded as the sunset approaches, and photographers go out into the middle of the street to get good pictures.

Thanks to jasoneppink, who made his photograph available on Flickr with a creative commons license.