'Manhattanhenge' sunsets coming to New York
Published in Weird News
NEW YORK (UPI) -- "Manhattanhenge," a twice-yearly phenomenon named by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, will be visible on the streets of New York during the coming weekend.
Tyson said Manhattanhenge, the Stonehenge-inspired term he coined in 2001 for the times when the sunset aligns exactly with the grid of streets in Manhattan, will be visible in half-sun form Friday evening and the full sun version will be visible Saturday.
The phenomenon will repeat with a full sun July 12 and half sun July 13.
"For best effect, position yourself as far east in Manhattan as possible. But ensure that when you look west across the avenues you can still see New Jersey. Clear cross streets include 14th, 23rd, 34th. 42nd, 57th, and several streets adjacent to them. The Empire State building and the Chrysler building render 34th street and 42nd streets especially striking vistas," Tyson wrote on the American Museum of Natural History's website.
"Manhattanhenge may just be a unique urban phenomenon in the world, if not the universe," he wrote.
The sunsets in recent years have become popular on Instagram, with users posting pictures with the #Manhattanhenge hashtag.
Copyright 2015 by United Press International
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