Manhattanhenge 2025: What is it and when will it happen in New York City?
This urban phenomenon takes place only four times each year, and next week is the first chance to catch this breathtaking NYC event in 2025.
Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson joins AccuWeather to share how he helped make Manhattanhenge a popular event in New York City as well as offering the best places to view the phenomenon in the city.
Four times per year, thousands of New Yorkers and tourists flock to Manhattan’s streets for a glimpse of the spectacular sunset known as Manhattanhenge.
Occurring twice in May and twice in July, the unique phenomenon features a perfectly aligned sunset beaming down the east-westward roads of the city’s grid.
The event can be seen when the sun is either partially or fully visible above Manhattan’s skyline. The result is a dazzling glow that illuminates the north and south sides of the streets’ towering buildings.
The 2025 dates for catching Manhattanhenge are:
May
• Wednesday, May 28, at 8:13 p.m. ET
• Thursday, May 29, at 8:12 p.m. ET
July
• Friday, July 11, at 8:20 p.m. ET
• Saturday, July 12, at 8:22 p.m. ET
Two birds fly through the middle of the street as people gather around to watch the sun set during Manhattanhenge in Times Square on July 11, 2022 in New York City. Manhattanhenge, which happened in May and now again in July, is the phenomenon when the sunset lines up between certain blocks in New York City. (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Jacqueline Faherty, senior scientist at the American Museum of Natural History, called Manhattanhenge and similar events “delightful by-products of gridded cities.”
“In all, if you have a city built with east-west facing streets in 90-degree angles with the avenues, you can have such an event,” Faherty said.
“The beauty of it will depend on the horizon and the buildings that frame your view,” she added.
Visibility also depends on possible clouds ruining the display, which can happen in a matter of minutes, according to AccuWeather meteorologists.
People photograph the sun setting along 42nd Street during the summer Manhattanhenge on July 11, 2022, in New York City. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
If weather conditions are favorable, hopeful spectators are treated to a breathtaking, picturesque view of the Manhattan sunset.
The history of Manhattanhenge
It’s no coincidence that Manhattanhenge sounds a lot like another world-famous “-henge.”
Stonehenge, Europe’s best-known prehistoric monument, inspired the name coined by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson in 2002.
That such a striking urban phenomenon exists is completely unintentional, however.
“The city planners of Manhattan certainly didn't expect for this to happen,” Faherty said.
A person holds up a phone to take a photo of the sun set during Manhattanhenge in Times Square on July 11, 2022 in New York City. Manhattanhenge, which happens twice in May and in July each year, is the phenomenon when the sunset lines up between certain blocks in New York City. (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Because of this, deGrasse Tyson wrote on his blog, “Future anthropologists might conclude that, via the sun, the people who called themselves Americans worshiped war and baseball.”
Part of what makes Manhattan such a great “-henge” location is its relatively low skyline, which gives it a somewhat flat horizon as seen from the borough’s streets, Faherty said.
“On top of that, Manhattan has iconic buildings that many people around the world can recognize,” Faherty said. “Those buildings frame the sun perfectly for an epic photograph.”
According to deGrasse Tyson, Manhattanhenge would have coincided with the spring and fall equinoxes if the borough’s grid were aligned perfectly with the geographic north-south line.
“But Manhattan's street grid is rotated 30 degrees east from geographic north, shifting the days of alignment elsewhere into the calendar,” he wrote.
Where are the best Manhattanhenge viewing spots?
For the best Manhattanhenge experience, deGrasse Tyson wrote that observers should find the easternmost point in Manhattan as possible, ensuring that New Jersey is still visible when looking west across the avenues. Hunter’s Point South Park in Long Island City, Queens and Gantry State Park are other ideal viewing locations — as well as anywhere in the outer boroughs so long as you can see all the way to New Jersey.
Manhattanhenge is when the sunset aligns perfectly with the NYC grid where the sun dips below the horizon as it’s right between the buildings in the street.
DeGrasse Tyson also suggested cross streets including 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd and 57th streets as prime sunset-viewing spots.
“Manhattanhenge times [occur] in an ideal part of the year: summer, when the sun sets late, the outside temperatures are warm and comfortable and people are in generally good moods,” Faherty said.
Although Manhattanhenge seems to be the most talked about, other “-henge” events also happen in other cities with uniform street grids, including Torontohenge, Bostonhenge and Chicagohenge. Those who can’t make it to New York City for the popular event can still spot amazing “mini-henges” throughout the year. Or you can catch similar sunsets at any time. Online mapmaking company Carto has created a map called NYCHenge, which displays optimal sunset days and New York City locations year-round.
The sun begins to set above 42nd Street before disappearing into a cloud on the second night of the spring Manhattanhenge on May 30, 2022, in New York City. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
