Manhattanhenge

I bet you have heard of Stonehenge but have you heard about Manhattanhenge?

According ot wikipedia, Manhattanhenge is the name given to the phenomenon that occurs when the setting sun aligns precisely with Manhattan's cross streets. It is sometimes referred to as the Manhattan Solstice – a twice-a-year occurrence during which the setting sun aligns with the east–west streets of the main street grid in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.The name is derived from Stonehenge, where the sun aligns with the stones on the solstices with a similarly dramatic effect.

Manhattanhenge was popularized in 2002 by Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History. The term applies to those streets that follow the Commissioners' Plan of 1811, which are laid out in a grid offset 29.0 degrees from true east–west. (The 29.0 degrees should be added to true east and west, making the western bearing approximately 299.0 degrees.)

During Manhattanhenge, an observer on one of the gridded east-west streets will see the sun setting over New Jersey directly opposite, from the street, along its centerline. The dates of Manhattanhenge usually occur around May 28 and July 12 or July 13 – spaced evenly around summer solstice.

This year it occurs tonight - Thursday July 12th at 8:25 p.m. (half sun) at sunset.

Solstices are times of renewal. celebration and rejuvenation. In ancient China, the summer solstice hearkened in the feminine energies while the winter solstice welcomed the male energies. Can we say the same thing about the solstice effects of Manhattanhenge? I say yes. Let's renew ourselves as we see the sun set over the Manhattan grid tonight. So get off your couch, New Yorkers, and get into the streets tonight to see Manhattanhenge.