Topline<\/p>\n
New York City\u2019s last Manhattanhenge<\/a> sunsets of the year are just days away, giving skywatchers and photographers another chance to see one of the world\u2019s most spectacular urban astronomy events. On two evenings this weekend \u2014 Saturday, July 11, and Sunday, July 12 \u2014 the setting sun will align perfectly with Manhattan\u2019s grid, creating sunsets framed by the borough\u2019s iconic skyscrapers. The phenomenon attracts thousands of people every year, with crowds gathering along Midtown intersections to watch the sun appear suspended between buildings.<\/p>\n People stop to watch the sunset along 42nd Street near Times Square the day after “Manhattanhenge” on May 30, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Craig T Fruchtman\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n During Manhattanhenge, the sunset point is neatly positioned between skyscrapers in Manhattan, New York City.<\/p>\n It occurs each year for two evenings in May and two evenings in July, but the two successive evenings bring a different view \u2014 one a \u201cfull sun on the grid\u201d and the other a \u201chalf sun on the grid.\u201d<\/p>\n It happens because Manhattan\u2019s grid is rectangular, but rotated about 30 degrees from true north, allowing the setting sun to align with the cross streets on certain dates.<\/p>\n People take pictures during a Manhattanhenge sunset along 42nd Street in Times Square on May 28, 2026, in New York City. (Photo by Gary Hershorn\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Getty ImagesWhen To See Manhattanhenge<\/p>\n According to the American Museum of Natural History<\/a>, this weekend\u2019s Manhattanhenge sunsets will occur on:<\/p>\n Saturday, July 11 \u2014 \u201cfull sun on the grid\u201d at 8:20 p.m. EDTSunday, July 12 \u2014 \u201chalf sun on the grid\u201d at 8:21 p.m. EDT<\/p>\n The two evenings offer subtly different views. On Saturday, July 11, a \u2018full-sun\u2019 Manhattanhenge will occur when the entire disk of the sun appears just above the road, centered on the grid, a fraction before it sinks below the horizon. On Sunday, July 12, there will be a \u201chalf-sun\u201d Manhattanhenge as the sun moves between skyscrapers as it sets dead-on the grid, so only its top half will be visible.<\/p>\n What Causes Manhattanhenge?<\/p>\n The event happens because Manhattan\u2019s grid is rotated about 30 degrees east of true north. As Earth orbits the sun, the sunset position gradually shifts along the horizon throughout the year. The sun sets due west only on the equinoxes in March and September. Near the June solstice, sunset occurs farther northwest. Twice before and twice after the solstice, the sunset angle aligns precisely with Manhattan\u2019s street layout. That geometry creates the phenomenon known as Manhattanhenge \u2014 a term coined by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson in reference to England\u2019s Stonehenge.<\/p>\n Best Places To Watch<\/p>\n The best viewing locations are Manhattan\u2019s broad east-west streets with clear sightlines toward the Hudson River. Prime locations include 14th Street, 23rd Street, 34th Street, 42nd Street and 57th Street. The farther east you stand, the more dramatic the effect becomes. Photographers also favor the Tudor City Overpass and Hunter\u2019s Point South Park in Queens for wider skyline compositions. Experienced photographers often arrive at least an hour early to secure a position, particularly around 34th and 42nd Streets where crowds can become intense.<\/p>\n The \u2018Manhattanhenge Effect\u2019<\/p>\n Although the headline dates receive the most attention, the official Manhattanhenge alignments occur on four dates each year. The broader Manhattanhenge Effect lasts from May 28 to July 12, as the setting sun appears to move through Manhattan\u2019s grid, with the sunset point migrating along the horizon \u2014 northward until the June solstice, then southward afterward. A low sun therefore appears between skyscrapers each evening, creating a long-lasting \u201cManhattanhenge Effect\u201d that reveals Earth\u2019s motion around the sun viewed through the geometry of New York City.<\/p>\n Further readingForbesIn Photos: New York\u2019s \u2018Manhattanhenge\u2019 And When To See The Next OneBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesWhy New York\u2019s \u2018Manhattanhenge Effect\u2019 Actually Lasts 44 DaysBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesIf Earth Is Farthest From The Sun This Week, Why Is It So Hot?By Jamie Carter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Topline New York City\u2019s last Manhattanhenge sunsets of the year are just days away, giving skywatchers and photographers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":288944,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[110447,110442,95387,110446,110445,9,24,11,10,110441,96251,110444,110443],"class_list":["post-288943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-best-photos-manhattanhenge","tag-explain-manhattanhenge","tag-manhattanhenge","tag-manhattanhenge-new-york","tag-manhattanhenge-nyc","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-what-is-manhattanhenge","tag-when-is-manhattanhenge","tag-when-to-see-manhattanhenge","tag-where-to-see-manhattanhenge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=288943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/288944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=288943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=288943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=288943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}