Manhattanhenge Occurs Tonight!

Happening tonight on the island of Manhatten is a phenomenon known as Manhattenhenge. Twice a year the sun lines up with the west-to-east oriented roads in New York City, fitting the sun perfectly between the buildings as it sets. On Tuesday a "half henge" hit the streets of Manhattan, but a full experience happens tonight, May 29th. Any east/west-oriented street is good for viewing, but the best views will occur where there are no buildings on the other side of the River, allowing for the sun to fall right through the skyscrapers. Sunset is around 8:19 tonight so the best time to view will be in the 10-15 minutes before.

So why does this happen? During our journey around the sun, Earth's tilt towards (or away) from the sun changes. Two times a year, in late May and early to mid-July, the sun lines up to nestle between the towering skyscrapers in New York City.

The sun will set at 8:19 PM ET tonight, but all the action happens as the sun is on the way down. Be ready by 8:00 to have a good glimpse of it going down. Tuesday night, only half of the sun was visible between the buildings but tonight the full disk will fit. Unfortunately, an upper-level impulse is spinning through the northeast. That looks like it could kick up some showers, but more importantly, cloud cover right around sunset.

Don't worry though, IF the weather doesn't cooperate, fear not! This will happen again July 12 (full disk) July 13 (half disk).