3 days ago
Crowds spill onto New York streets and block traffic to catch glimpse of 'Manhattanhenge' sunset
Crowds have spilled onto the streets of New York to catch a glimpse of a beloved phenomenon that bathes Manhattan streets in orange twice a year.
"Manhattanhenge" occurs when the Sun perfectly aligns with the borough's street grid and sinks below the horizon, framed by a canyon of skyscrapers.
Sidewalks and parks were packed to watch the unique sunset on Thursday, local time, which occurs on a handful of spring and summer evenings.
The first Manhattanhenge of the year took place on Wednesday evening, but was repeated again on Thursday.
Thursday's sunset was briefly visible, but mostly blocked by clouds.
It will occur again on July 11 and 12.
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson coined the term in an article published in the National History magazine in 1997.
The future television host was part of an expedition led by Gerald Hawkins, the scientist who first theorised that Stonehenge was constructed as an ancient astronomical observatory.
It struck Dr Tyson, who is a New York local, that the biannual sunset alignment that occurs in Manhattan could be compared to the Sun's rays striking the centre of the Stonehenge circle on the summer solstice.
The summer solstice is an annual event that refers to when a hemisphere experiences its longest stretch of daylight over a 24-hour period.
Manhattanhenge doesn't take place on the summer solstice itself, though.
The two events are separated by about three weeks before and after the solstice.
AP
