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The Best Spots To View Manhattanhenge

by Sarah Harvard

Manhattanhenge, the breathtaking moment when the sunset aligns perfectly with the city’s street grid, returns once again this Sunday evening and will reappear Monday evening as well. Let's hope busy New Yorkers will stop and bask in the beauty of the sun glowing through the streets below massive skyscrapers. According to the Hayden Planetarium, the full-sun Manhattanhenge will take its course at precisely 8:20 pm on Sunday and half-sun will take place on Monday at 8:21 pm. But where are the best spots to see Manhattanhenge? There's a few great locations in NYC to check it out.

Coined and discovered by Neil deGrasse Tyson, "Manhattanhenge" is named after Stonehenge, the prehistoric in Salisbury, England, for the resemblance the sun displays when perfectly aligning with the large vertical rocks on the summer solstice. Although words alone cannot do justice for the event's allure, the sun shines through the north and south sides of every cross street in the Manhattan borough's grid. According to deGrasse Tyson, the best places to see Manhattanhenge are places far east in the borough looking west towards New Jersey. So, grab your friends, maybe a Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks, and head over to these spots for the best views of Manhattanhenge:

42nd Street

38th Street

57th Street

50th Street

34th Street

23rd Street

14th Street