After being clouded out the first time, New Yorkers enjoyed a chance to witness the spectacle that is Manhattanhenge during Monday’s sunset.
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Due to the layout of Manhattan’s street grid, the sun aligns perfectly between the buildings along a few streets. The term “Manhattanhenge” was coined by famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson — who is himself form New York — as a nod to Britain’s Stonehenge, where, on the summer solstice, the sun aligns with a few of the stones.
The first chance New Yorkers had to witness Manhattanhenge was May 30.
Manhattanhenge occurs at this time of year because the sun doesn’t always rise due east and set due west. Instead, day after day, it slowly moves northward until summer when it once again begins to settle southward.
The alignment takes place because the city grid is angled at 30 degrees from the geographic north. (If it hadn’t been, then this would have occurred on the spring and fall equinoxes.)