Just what is Manhattanhenge?
New
Yorkers have witnessed an urban solar phenomenon, with the Sun setting
in alignment with the city's skyscrapers and giving an effect fans say
is reminiscent of Wiltshire's Stonehenge. Welcome to Manhattanhenge.
Twice every year amateur photographers gather in
carefully-selected spots to set up tripods and wait to capture the
ultimate sunset.
On Wednesday night at 2025 local time (0125 BST), the
east-west lying streets of the city's famous grid system neatly framed
the setting sun, creating golden glows New Yorkers rarely see.
During the phenomenon, the Sun appears to be nestled
perfectly between the skyscraper corridors, illuminating the north and
south sides of the streets.
Crowds gather for photographs on 34th Street
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson coined the term
Manhattanhenge in 1996, inspired by its likeness to Stonehenge, where
the sun aligns with concentric circles of vertical stones on each of the
solstices.
"As a kid, I visited Stonehenge in the Salisbury Plain of
England and did research on other stone monuments across the British
Isles. It was deep within me," says deGrasse Tyson.
"So I was, in a way, imprinted by the emotional power that
terrestrial alignments with the Sun can have on a culture or
civilization."
After coining the term, deGrasse Tyson later published dates and times in Natural History magazine.
East-west streets like 34th Street perfectly framed the Sun
Similar "henge" phenomena also occur in other cities with large
numbers of skyscrapers and long straight streets - such as Chicago,
Montreal and Toronto.
As far as sunset goes - which is the fans' true
Manhattanhenge - the event happens in May and July, and for two nights
each. There's also the winter version, but that's sunrise.
New York-based photographer Emon Hassan has celebrated Manhattanhenge in his work.
"You'll see photographers on both sides, lined up, just
waiting. In one area, I could go in the middle of the street and get the
shot. Photographers risk their lives to get the perfect shot.
S
Skyscrapers along 42nd Street form another impressive view
"I don't even know how to articulate that feeling. It's almost like seeing an eclipse."
Getty photographer Mario Tama shot the event earlier this year. He says the event provides residents with a moment of clarity and beauty in a chaotic world.
"Basically, people in Manhattan are trapped in an island of tall buildings and sometimes can't even see the sky really.
The occasion is a red-letter day for both amateurs and professionals
"It's a brilliant moment when Manhattanites can connect with
the rest of the world and with the Earth. If you get out of the subway
at 34th Street, you'll see two or three hundred people with tripods
jumping in the street. Usually when this happens, there has been a
shooting or something, so this is really a beautiful thing," says Tama.
The event has become a social phenomenon in New York City.
"Amateur and professional photographers can meet up, they tag
each other's work on Twitter and meet other people - people with other
interests," says Hassan.
"Manhattan is one of the most fascinating places and this is such a unique event."
Its distinctiveness lies in the positioning of the city's layout.
The Empire State Building and the 34th Street corridor view
Manhattan's Commissioner's Plan of 1811 established its grid
system, which is rotated 29 degrees from true east-west. If Manhattan's
streets were perfectly laid out on an east-west grid, Manhattanhenge
would occur facing both east and west on the vernal and autumnal
equinoxes.
It also has the advantage over other skyscraper cities
because of a relatively clear view to the horizon down some of its
streets.
For photographers and people taking an early evening stroll, it is just a beautiful effect of light.
But for astronomers, it's something more - a chance to engage laymen and enthusiasts with the studies of the cosmos.
DeGrasse Tyson uses the event to make people more interested in astronomy.
"I'll take any excuse I can get to get people to look up and
notice our cosmic environment," deGrasse Tyson recently told PBS
television.
The best vantage point to view the event, which he describes
as "the greatest of the cosmos together with the greatest of our urban
icons", is on Park Avenue and 34th Street, looking west, he says.
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Comment number 161.
cg
15th July 2011 - 0:46What I'm really curious about is whether the author of this article has actually been confused into imagining this is a real "phenomenon" rather than the vacuous exercise in hype one discerns 'between the lines,' or whether she has not in fact had a cognitive lapse and is cynically offering the "story" as filler with tongue planted firmly in cheek.
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Comment number 160.
gadfly55
15th July 2011 - 0:40Just a glance is enough, the act of looking through the lense imperils your eyesight, and is incapable of capturing the radiance revealed to your mind. The point source of light blows out the exposure.
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Comment number 159.
gadfly55
15th July 2011 - 0:38Any awareness of the light is a respite from the eternal night.
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Comment number 158.
GradyPhilpott
15th July 2011 - 0:37Nothing in the universe has any meaning, except as humans attribute it. This phenomenon is important only because it is somewhat rare and people enjoy memorializing it.
The article has a few good photos and from standpoint of human interest the story has value.
Why some use every opportunity to insult others is anathema to me, but then again, it is just human nature, I guess.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14150550