Manhattanhenge 2024 is coming: when and how to watch

New Yorkers, get ready for the latest solar spectacle.

Every year in late May and again in mid-July, residents and tourists alike flood the streets of Manhattan to enjoy a spectacular view of the sunset in the west, surrounded by the city’s famous streetscapes. Nicknamed the Manhattanhenge, the event attracts more and more people each year, with some gathering in crowds so dense they block streets.

“I think it’s in-your-face astronomy,” said Jackie Faherty, an astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History who calculates the dates for the Manhattanhenge every year. “It’s like a big science party going on in town.”

The popularity of the event probably goes beyond interest in science, Dr. Faherty added: People love a good photo, and Manhattanhenge does.

When is Manhattanhenge?

This year’s Manhattanhenge takes place on Tuesday, May 28 and Wednesday, May 29, then again on July 12 and 13.

According to the American Museum of Natural History, the sun will set at 8:13 PM on Tuesday and at 8:12 PM on Wednesday, local time. In July, the sun will set on the 12th at 20:21, and on the 13th at 20:20.

The sunset will look different on successive days. On May 28, the upper half of the sun will line up with the city grid, but the next day the full sun will be visible. Later in the summer, this pattern changes: viewers will see the full sun on July 12 and the upper half of the sun on July 13.

Will the clouds get in the way?

Of the two opportunities this week, Tuesday’s Manhattanhenge looks like the best bet for a clear view of the setting sun.

Almost cloudless skies are expected at 8 p.m. Tuesday in New York, according to a National Weather Service forecast released Monday morning. The forecast also predicted that clouds would cover about three-quarters of the sky at the same time on Wednesday.

Why should I see it?

Like April’s solar eclipse and the dancing aurora borealis, Manhattanhenge is another example of our home star bringing people together.

Sunsets are one of the easiest ways to embrace the “wonders of the cosmos,” Dr. Faherty said, adding that each one is special. “You never know how the light will look or feel as it sets, or what the atmosphere will be like around you.”

Longer days, warmer weather and the school year ending in New York make Manhattanhenge “just more so,” she said. “The whole thing is just a nice, relaxing summer party and celebration of astronomy.”

Why does Manhattanhenge happen?

The sun setting perfectly between the urban canyons of New York is the result of the geometry of the Sun and the Earth.

The sun sets in a different place each day because the Earth is tilted on its axis as it orbits the sun, Dr. Faherty said. In the spring, she explained, if you were to observe the sun from the same spot looking west, you would notice that the point where it sets moves a little further north of the horizon each day.

After the summer solstice, which this year takes place on June 20, the sun begins to slowly return to the south. “It’s ping pong between the solstices,” Dr. Faherty said. “And that’s because we’re spinning around the sun, like we’re doing loops around a track.”

This is why there are two opportunities to see the Manhattanhenge, in May and in July; the dates appear on either side of the summer solstice. Between these dates, viewers can still catch the sun rising behind the city’s skyscrapers as it sets, although it will appear at different heights in the sky.

Tis the season for “epic sunsets in New York,” said Dr. Faherty.

How did Manhattanhenge begin?

In the 1800s, city planners designed New York as a grid: its avenues run roughly north to south, and its cross streets are set at 90-degree angles, running roughly east to west.

As long as this network has existed, people have likely noticed the phenomenon, Dr. Faherty said.

The earliest mention of this effect that Dr. Faherty was able to find was a 1997 comic strip published in the journal Natural History. Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium, coined the name “Manhattanhenge” in 2002, inspired by the ancient Stonehenge monument in England.

Since then, the excitement surrounding the event has grown every year. “People caught on and it caught on like wildfire,” Dr. Faherty said.

Where can I see Manhattanhenge?

Among the most popular places to watch this special sunset is the Tudor City Overpass, a pedestrian walkway above 42nd Street. The observation deck offers a good view of the Chrysler building.

Another favorite location for photographers is the Park Avenue Viaduct a few avenues west, near Grand Central Station. But pedestrians are not allowed up there, and the police will probably show up to clear the crowds.

But any east-west street in Manhattan with good visibility of New Jersey is fair game. For the best views (and photos), Dr. Faherty recommends finding a wide road framed by the city’s landmark structures.

On 34th Street you will see the Empire State Building; somewhere else on 42nd street you might be able to put Times Square in your frame. Wide roads like 14th Street, 23rd Street and 57th Street are also popular. Uptown on 145th Street and Hunters Point in Queens offer unconventional views.

“You have to be in the middle of the street to fully appreciate it,” Dr. Faherty said, so keep safety in mind when choosing a spot.

Does the effect ever happen at sunrise?

A similar effect occurs at sunrise in November and January, approximately six months after the Manhattanhenge sunset date. dr. Faherty calls this the Reverse Manhattanhenge.

But the dates for the Reverse Manhattanhenge are harder to calculate, she said, because the sun rises in the east over other city neighborhoods.

“The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens — they’re big, they have a lot of topography,” Dr. Faherty said. “There’s a lot more stuff that’s in the way.”

This presents additional challenges in determining when there will be a clear view of the rising sun. And since the weather isn’t so good, Reverse Manhattanhenge tends to attract fewer people.

John Keefe contributed reporting.