Thousands of New Yorkers and tourists flooded the streets of Manhattan for a spectacular sunset between the city’s skyscrapers that brought the city to s standstill.
The astronomical event known as Manhattanhenge attracts increasing numbers of viewers on the four days of the year the setting sun perfectly lines up with the city’s grid.
Traffic was blocked as hundreds of people stood in the middle of one of the city’s east-west streets with cameras and phones at the ready as the sun cast a brilliant glow between the buildings.
Thousands of New Yorkers and tourists flooded the streets of Manhattan for a spectacular sunset between the city’s skyscrapers that brought the city to s standstill
Hollywood scenes: The scene on 2nd avenue looked cinematic as the sunset light bathed Manhattan in a watery orange hue
There she goes: Traffic comes to a standstill as motorists and pedestrians clamber to get that perfect shot
Sunset boulevard: Manhattan basked in a warm glow on Thursday evening
The astronomical event known as Manhattanhenge attracts increasing numbers of viewers every time
Manhattanhenge occurs on the four days of the year the setting sun perfectly lines up with the city’s grid
The excitement was palpable on the streets of Manhattan as people walked among the traffic to capture the rare NYC sunset
Traffic was blocked as hundreds of people stood in the middle of one of the city’s east-west streets to take photos
Thursday evening brought the ‘full sun’ Manhattanhenge, where the whole sun is visible through New York’s canyons of brick and steel, at exactly 8.20pm.
The ‘half sun’ version, where the sun lines up halfway through setting, will be visible on Friday night at 8.21pm. Both versions are extremely popular depending on personal preference.
East 42nd Street was, as usual, the busiest viewing point on Thursday with many getting there early to stake out spots and others waiting on the sidewalk to dash out at the last minute.
Photos showed huge crowds in Times Square, along the Perishing Square overpass in Grand Central, the Second Avenue intersection, and on the Tudor City overpass a block farther east.
Thursday evening brought the ‘full sun’ Manhattanhenge, where the whole sun is visible through New York’s canyons of brick and steel, at exactly 8.20pm
Thousands had cameras and phones at the ready as the sun cast a brilliant glow between the buildings
Some keen photographers stood through the sunroofs of their cars as traffic jammed up throughout the spectacle
East 42nd Street (pictured) was, as usual, the busiest viewing point on Thursday with many getting there early to stake out spots
Cars are so jammed by the traffic and blocked by people taking photos that some got out of their cars to view the sight (Times Square view pictured)
Others staked out spots in Astor Place, 14th, 23rd, 34th, and 57th Streets, and good views could even be had in parts of Queens as long as New Jersey was visible.
Some keen photographers stood through the sunroofs of their cars as traffic jammed up throughout the spectacle, despite the efforts of police to control crowds.
The last Manhattanhenge was in May but ruined by clouds obscuring the sun as it set over the horizon. However, there was a cloudless sky on Thursday with similar conditions expected on Friday.
The term ‘Manhattanhenge’ was popularized by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who wrote an well-cited explainer for the American Museum of Natural History, calling it a ‘rare and beautiful sight’.
‘For best effect, position yourself as far east in Manhattan as possible. But ensure that when you look west across the avenues, you can still see New Jersey,’ he advised.
The term ‘Manhattanhenge’ was popularized by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson in a well-cited explainer for the American Museum of Natural History
‘For best effect, position yourself as far east in Manhattan as possible. But ensure that when you look west across the avenues, you can still see New Jersey,’ he advised
The view from the intersection with Madison Avenue as people stand in the middle of the street to see the brilliant glow
Times Square gives a great view because of the iconic buildings and location in the foreground
Hundreds whip out their cameras and phones to snap a photo of the rare sight from Times Square
Others waited on the sidewalk to dash out at the last minute as police tried to control crowds to reduce congestion
Pedestrians invade the middle of the street to view and get shots of Manhattanhenge down 34th Street
The phenomenon is a homage to Stonehenge, the 5,000-year-old structure in Wiltshire, England, that lines up exactly with the summer and winter solstices.
Much of Manhattan was built to a perfect grid of streets running east-west and avenues north-south as per its 1811 city plan, allowing a corridor for the effect to take place.
The streets are aligned 29 degrees from due east-west, which means Manhattanhenge takes place twice a year on varying dates in May and July instead of at the solstices like Stonehenge.
A similar effect occurs in December and January, but this is less popular as the view towards the outer boroughs isn’t as good and it requires getting up early in the middle of winter.
A line of people completely block off the street at East 42nd Street and Second Avenue
Much of Manhattan was built to a perfect grid of streets running east-west and avenues north-south as per its 1811 city plan, allowing a corridor for the effect to take place.
The phenomenon is a homage to Stonehenge, the 5,000-year-old structure in Wiltshire, England, that lines up exactly with the summer (pictured) and winter solstices