NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – With the ongoing heatwaves, New Yorkers may be a bit tired of the sun, but that doesn't mean they don't love Manhattanhenge!
Friday's Manhattanhenge is the last of 2024, so take out your cameras and shades to enjoy the phenomenon when the sunset aligns with Manhattan’s street grid today.
Twice a year in Manhattan, the setting sun aligns perfectly with the street grid, creating a glow that illuminates both sides of every cross street.
The last solar spectacle of the year will appear Friday and will peak at around 8:20 p.m. expecting to draw thousands of people at certain cross streets to watch, according to the American Museum of Natural History.
In honor of the event, AMNH is hosting a viewing party at 7 p.m. Friday. Museum Senior Scientist Jackie Faherty will give a 3D presentation about the science and history behind Manhattanhenge using the Museum’s powerful OpenSpace visualization software.
"It does happen every year, but every sunset is different and always new people are arriving in the city and get to see the phenomenon for the for the first time," Faherty told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880. "So I love the idea of people getting a lesson on it."
After the program, which will be held in the Museum’s LeFrak Theater, a Manhattanhenge viewing event will take place outdoors. New Yorkers can watch the mesmerizing alignment of the setting sun with the city's grid while grooving to the vibrant sounds of the Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra.
"I want people to have more of an appreciation for the larger cosmological world that we live in, for the universe at large," Faherty said. "And it doesn't have to be the whole universe. It just could be like understanding the earth's place as it's moving around the sun."
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased on the AMNH website.
The full sun will align with the grid on Friday, July 12, at 8:20 pm, and the half sun will be visible on Saturday, July 13, at 8:21 pm.
New Yorkers who can’t join AMNH can also view the sunset from Manhattan’s main east-west thoroughfares: 14th Street, 23rd Street, 34th Street, 42nd Street, and 57th Street.
The sunset can also be viewed from these locations: Tudor City Overpass in Manhattan and Hunter’s Point South Park in Long Island City, Queens.