Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Here Are Your 2016 Manhattanhenge Dates
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 6, 2016
Modified May 6, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 6, 2016
Modified May 6, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Half and Full. (Photos via mrgeneko's flickr and michaelnyc's flickr)
Every year the sun aligns perfectly with the city's grid on four separate occasions, an event first named and noticed by super intelligent human Neil deGrasse Tyson. It is nature's gift to New York City, a testament to our smart grid system, and an obsession of Instagrammers (née photographers). The few harmonious moments that the Manhattanhenge sunset lasts for really connects our urban terrain to something bigger, and if you can find an intersection to appreciate it in that isn't overrun by people holding up their iPhones, it's beautiful. In fact, deGrasse Tyson has declared it to be "a unique urban phenomenon in the world, if not the universe."
Manhattanhenge really snuck up on us this year—we hadn't seen any new dates on the AMNH's website, so we reached out to them to make sure it was still happening? That we didn't kill Manhattanhenge with global warming or overdevelopment or something? We have been reassured by the Museum that it is still on, and this morning they gave us the dates and (military) times:
Half Sun
May 29 20:12
July 12 20:20
Full Sun
May 30 20:12
July 11 20:20
As an encore, there will be a Manhattanhenge talk with astrophysicist Jackie Faherty on the 12th, with a special presentation at the Hayden Planetarium.
Tagged
2016 dates
manhattanhenge
original
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
‘Cultural chaos’: Photographer Diana Mara Henry’s photos of NYC in the ’70s and ’80s
A bygone city seen through a keen eye.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Jul 17, 2026
Is this the summer New Yorkers should all wear shorts to the office?
An investigation into my office dress code — and the depths of my own psyche.
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Is this the summer New Yorkers should all wear shorts to the office?
An investigation into my office dress code — and the depths of my own psyche.
By
James Ramsay
A New Yorker's guide to watching the World Cup final this Sunday
By
Jamie McClellan
How Colson Whitehead's Harlem trilogy helped him make sense of a changing city
By
Sonia Rao
'Tattoo artists at war': How New York City innovation (and drama) made the modern tattoo
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .