The Manhattan Solstice, or Manhattanhenge, occurs when the sun aligns with the east-west street grid of the New York City island. It happens four times each year, on dates that are evenly spaced before and after the solstice. Best enjoyed from one of the wide cross streets, viewers can see a setting half sun tonight; tomorrow they will see a full sun setting across the urban canyon. If you miss tonight and tomorrow night, you cn see Manhattanhenge again on July 11th and 12th.
In winter there is an inverse Manhattanhenge. The rising sun aligns with the street grid on dates spaced around the winter solstice; approximately December 5th and January 4th.
On September 18, the setting Sun illuminated both sides of the steep brick and steel canyon otherwise known as Jasper Avenue in downtown Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, planet Earth. The Stonehenge-like alignment is captured from the middle of the road in this snapshot by Luca Vanzella. In Edmonton the streets are laid out on a grid almost oriented along the cardinal directions, so aligned Edmonton sunsets (and sunrises) occur along the nearly east-west streets twice year, close to the Equinox. In fact, at today's Equinox, the Sun crosses the celestial equator at 1421 UT and on this day the Sun will rise due east and set due west, bringing approximately equal hours of day and night to denizens of planet Earth. The September Equinox marks the astronomical beginning of Fall in the north and spring in the southern hemisphere.
