Manhattanhenge 2025: What is it, and where are the best spots to see it this week?
Move over, Broadway — this week the sun will take center stage in New York City during golden hour with the first Manhattanhenge of 2025.
The cosmic phenomenon happens when the setting sun perfectly aligns between the city's towering skyscrapers and the street grid, providing viewers with some of the most stunning images of a sunset in the Big Apple.
The term 'Manhattanhenge' was first coined in 2002 by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who wanted to pay homage to Stonehenge, the prehistoric English monument that aligns with the movements of the sun. (The term is now an official word in the Oxford English Dictionary.)
Here's when you can see Manhattanhenge 2025 and the best spots for viewing the vibrant spectacle.
The phenomenon happens twice a year. Here are the dates and times to keep in mind, according to the American Museum of Natural History's website:
Wednesday, May 28: A 'half sun on the grid' will happen at 8:13 p.m. ET. The sun will be partially blocked by the horizon but still framed by the city grid.
Thursday, May 29: A 'full sun on the grid' will appear at 8:12 p.m. ET. The sun will appear whole, just above the horizon framed by the city grid.
It's best to head outside about 30 minutes beforehand to secure a good viewing spot.
Viewers can best see Manhattanhenge from the following main thoroughfares that run east and west.
14th Street
23rd Street
34th Street
42nd Street
57th Street
Remember, the whole idea is to see the sun through the frame of the skyscrapers; otherwise, it will look like any other sunset. You'll want to position yourself as far east as possible on one of these thoroughfares. When you look to the west across the avenues, make sure you have a clear view to the horizon looking in the direction of New Jersey across the Hudson River from Manhattan.
Manhattanhenge can also be viewed from these locations:
Tudor City Overpass on East 42nd Street in Manhattan
Hunter's Point South Park in Long Island City, Queens
It will only last a few minutes! And Manhattanhenge has become a popular event, so it's recommended to go outside about 30 minutes beforehand to get a good spot.
'The whole street can get shut down with people just taking it over,' Dr. Jackie Faherty, an astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History, told the New York Post. 'You have to be in the middle of the street to see the phenomenon, and there's this other pesky thing in the middle of the street, which is cars — you have to get away from the cars.'
Contrary to popular belief, the sun doesn't rise due east and set due west on the horizon every day. It only does that twice a year on the equinoxes: on the first day of spring and the first day of autumn.
Since Manhattan runs north and south, why wouldn't we see Manhattanhenge on the equinoxes if the sun sets due west on those dates?
That's because the Manhattan street grid isn't perfectly aligned with the geographic north-south line. 'Manhattan's street grid is rotated 30 degrees east from geographic north, shifting the days of alignment elsewhere into the calendar,' according to the Natural History Museum.
If the weather this week is less than ideal, there will be another chance to view Manhattanhenge in July.
July 11: A 'full sun on the grid' will appear at 8:20 p.m. ET.
July 12: A 'half sun on the grid' will happen at 8:22 p.m. ET.
We'll see another one this year because the sun creeps along the horizon northward day by day until the summer solstice, which is June 20. At that point, the sun makes its return back south until the first day of winter. That's why in July we'll see a full sun first, followed by a half sun.
Other cities like Chicago and Baltimore with east-west streets on a grid also experience a similar Manhattanhenge effect. The key to a good view is a clear horizon beyond the city grid not obstructed by mountains, for example.
Brittany Bell, a meteorologist for ABC7 news, posted that the best chances of viewing it this week will be on Thursday, during the 'full sun' view.
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