Latest news with #AMNH
USA Today
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Rare sunset spectacle occurs in NYC this week. How to see Manhattanhenge 2025.
Rare sunset spectacle occurs in NYC this week. How to see Manhattanhenge 2025. Show Caption Hide Caption 'Manhattanhenge' sunset wows New Yorkers The annual event occurs when the sun aligns itself with the east-west grid of streets in Manhattan allowing the sun to shine down all streets at the same time. It's that time of the year again when the sun perfectly aligns with the Manhattan street to create a solar spectacle known as "Manhattanhenge." Manhattanhenge occurs when "the setting Sun aligns precisely with the Manhattan street grid, creating a radiant glow of light across Manhattan's brick and steel canyons, simultaneously illuminating both the north and south sides of every cross street of the borough's grid," according to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). Hundreds, if not thousands, gather along the streets of Manhattan to witness the solar phenomenon, which the museum describes as "a rare and beautiful sight." Here's what to know about the 2025 Manhattanhenge and when to see it. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. When is Manhattanhenge? Dates, time The Manhattanhenge phenomenon occurs twice a year: two days in May and two days in July, according to AMNH. This year, the first Manhattanhenge will occur on Wednesday, May 28 at 8:13 p.m. ET and feature the top half of the sun aligning with the city grid, as per AMNH. The next Manhattanhenge will take place on Thursday, May 29 at 8:12 p.m. ET, when the whole sun will appear like a ball between the grids, unless the clouds obstruct the view. The second Manhattanhenge, meanwhile, will occur on Saturday, July 12 at 8:22 p.m. ET with half the sun and the full sun in the frame of New York city skyscrapers will be on Friday, July 11 at 8:20 p.m. ET. While July 12 will see a full sun in the frame of New York city skyscrapers, Saturday's Manhattanhenge will have the top half of the sun on the grid of the city, according to the museum. What are the best spots to see the Manhattanhenge? For the best views of Manhattanhenge, NYC Parks and the museum recommend the following streets and spots: 14th Street 23rd Street 34th Street 42nd Street 57th Street Tudor City Overpass in Manhattan Hunter's Point South Park in Long Island City, Queens NYC Parks also recommends arriving early to the suggested spots to get a good view because the spectacle lasts for only a few minutes. Manhattanhenge history Jackie Faherty, an astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History, who determines the dates for Manhattanhenge each year told the New York Times last year that the earliest mention of the phenomenon that he was able to find was a 1997 comic strip published in the Natural History magazine. However, Faherty reckons that people may have noticed the Manhattanhenge even before that given the grid-like layout of the city. The term "Manhattanhenge," meanwhile, was coined by Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium, in 2002, who was inspired by the ancient Stonehenge monument in England, according to the NYT. Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@ and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
New York Post
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Parents outraged by trans film for kids at NYC's Museum of Natural History
The Museum of Natural History shocked even liberal Upper West Side parents last week by showcasing an animated film featuring a drag-performing fox and a trans kid with an identity crisis – alongside an exhibit 'about sea animals.' The eight-minute stop-motion animation short titled 'Dragfox' – featuring a 'charismatic' fox in drag voiced by Sir Ian McKellen — played last weekend on a loop inside the august Milstein Hall in the shadow of the famed 94-foot long blue whale. In one scene 11-year-old Sam twirls around with his sister's pink dress, eventually wearing it. The flamboyant fox, 'Ginger Snap,' snatches it and breaks into a drag musical number as the duo embark on a 'magical journey' in the attic. Advertisement 3 The film played on a loop in the museum, surprising parents. Dragfox 'What on Earth is this doing playing in the Natural History Museum? No connection whatsoever to space, the ocean, anything,' blasted one stunned museum-member mom in an online parents group. 'There's a time and place for drag queens but the AMNH isn't it,' added the mom about the museum, which received at least $17 million in government funding in 2024, according to its financial disclosures. The mom was galled that the subject matter 'was intentionally placed in front of us, in cartoon format, with no posted forewarning, in an exhibit about sea animals.' Advertisement The 'family friendly' series, part of the annual Margaret Mead Film Festival, was innocuously called 'Our Friends, The Animals' and described a collection of five 'imaginative' shorts that explore 'the deep and often mysterious connections between humans and animals' told through 'myth, magic and quiet moments of discovery.' De-transitioner Oli London rejected the film's sentiment that transitioning magically brings happiness. 'Children should not be exposed to gender ideology in any format,' said London, who's 35 and detransitioned two years after beginning the grueling process. Advertisement 3 Jacqueline Toboroff called the film 'predatory indoctrination.' Obtained by the New York Post He railed against the animated film aimed at 'targeting' youngsters by including a character with a 'cute, friendly-looking fox . . . encouraging them to become confused with their gender identity and become trans. Children should be off-limits from radical gender ideology.' Parents accused the museum of straying from its mission to 'discover, interpret, and disseminate —through scientific research and education — knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe.' Instead of understanding science, they're 'ignoring' it by 'presenting something that's ideological as scientific fact,' said Natalya Murakhaver, an UWS mom-of-two and documentary filmmaker, who blasted the screening as 'predatory behavior for young, impressionable children. Advertisement 'I think we have activists running the museum who are trying to portray their idea of reality as fact, when it's actually ideological,' she added. But 'Dragfox' director, Lisa Ott, exulted during a 2024 BAFTA award acceptance speech that the short 'celebrates drag queens and trans joy.' The singular goal of the film was to 'have one little queer kid or trans child out there feel a little bit less alone.' The festival is a way to 'step beyond your comfort zone to listen, feel, and see yourself reflected in the stories presented on screen,' insisted Jacqueline Handy, the AMNH Director of Public Programs. It's more insidious than that, said downtown mom of two, Jacqueline Toboroff. Showing a loaded film aimed at kids is 'predatory indoctrination' meant to sow chaos, she said. 3 Parents were surprised the show was showing, on a loop, in an exhibit about sea life. Robert Miller 'It's an attempt to dislodge American traditions,' said the author of 'Supermoms Activated,' claiming that the focus on kid-rich environments – 'libraries, schools and museums' – is an 'intentional effort to groom these kids. 'It's meant to sexually exploit impressionable minds and to mainstream sexual deviance.' Advertisement New York is among the states with the most gender-affirming care, with 1,154 minors in the state who were sex change patients between 2019 and 2023. There's social contagion being artificially created and 'harming a new generation of kids that can't escape this ideology,' according to Maud Maron, a parents-rights activist in NYC running on the Rrepublican ticket for Manhattan district attorney against Alvin Bragg. She added, 'You just don't have a right to push it down New Yorkers' throats in taxpayer-funded institutions.' Advertisement The museum said the festival is funded by the New York State Council on the Arts with support of the 'Office of the Governor,' but Gov. Kathy Hochul's spokesperson insisted the state stopped directly funding the film festival in 2021. 'The state did not allocate funding for this film festival and was not involved in the curation or selection process,' the spokesperson insisted. The arts council budgeted $25,000 in capital grants for the museum this year and that money may have been funneled towards this year's festival, said the rep. AMNH did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
