This year has already been chock full of beautiful sunsets and night skies, and for New Yorkers, tonight promises to be one of the prettiest of the year — for a unique reason. It's the second and final occurrence of "Manhattanhenge." This is the name for when the setting sun aligns itself with New York City's street grid from east to west, radiating an orangey-red glow between skyscrapers.
We were able to see Manhattanhenge over Memorial Day weekend, and again this week. You won't see the full sun framed by buildings tonight, though — that happened last night — but you can still catch a stunning semicircle of the sun at 8:20 p.m. sharp.
Neil deGrasse Tyson gave Manhattanhenge its name in reference to Stonehenge, England's historical monument which was built to align with the winter and summer solstices. Instead of stones in alignment with the cosmos however, we've got skyscrapers.
Tyson says that any city arranged according to a rectangular grid can have a similar experience, but Manhattan is unique (and particularly picturesque) because the line of sight across the horizon is unobstructed. Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and other cities with an east-to-west grid, The New York Times says, can still see a similarly beautiful phenomenon too, though.
Check out Google Map's spots above for the best places to view Manhattanhenge tonight, and stop by the Museum of Natural History for an extra special viewing if you're in the city. If you're elsewhere, keep your eyes on Instagram, or you can watch last night's New York Times livestream to see the full sunset in all its glory.
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