Manhattan’s streets are aligned on a wonderfully regular grid, a relief to perfectionist types out there who crave order in their arrangement of asphalt.
But it ain’t perfect, and I’m not talking about downtown’s quagmire of back streets.
As it turns out, New York City’s grid is slightly skewed in a clockwise direction because, well… it makes more sense given the shape and direction of “Mannahatta.”
Cartographers often fool the foolhardy, however, by rotating streets into a more aesthetically pleasing arrangement (to agree with a map’s rectangular shape). Don’t believe me? Look for the compass on MTA’s subway map. It’s hanging out in the Long Island Sound.
Anyway, this regularity that’s a wee bit off creates not one but two golden opportunities — arguably four, if you like seeing half our backyard star — for photography and astronomy nerds.
That’s because the setting sun lines up perfectly with the city’s off-axis grid, creating a picturesque view from most streets when looking west at sunset.
I say two golden opportunities each year, as the sun is on the way “up” to the summer solstice (aka toward summer) the first time, then on the way “down” from the solstice (away from summer/toward fall) the next time. Naturally, each “Manhattanhenge” happens on dates equidistant from the summer solstice, which is when the sun reaches its farthest point on a given hemisphere.
But I digress. If you’re really curious about the science, I highly recommend Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s page on the matter (from Hayden Planetarium) and Ira Flatow’s video bit (from NPR’s Science Friday series).
If you’re only after the photos, here you are. Note that someone formed a nice group on Flickr for Manhattanhenge 2010 photos, so check out those images as well.
Tags: manhattanhenge, new york city, solstice, sun, sunset