New Yorkers Prepare for 'Manhattanhenge' Sunset
2022-07-12
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1When the setting sun lines up just right with the buildings in New York City, it is called "Manhattanhenge."
2The name combines the words "Manhattan," New York City's central area, and "Stonehenge," an ancient group of stones in Britain.
3The sun sets in line with the tall buildings in the city four times each year.
4The final time for 2022 is going to be Tuesday, July 12.
5At about 8 p.m. local time, people will be able to see the sun going down along the Hudson River on the city's west side.
6For the fourth time this year, however, it will be a special view.
7That is because the buildings along the wide streets that go East and West perfectly frame the sun.
8Wide streets with especially good views are 14th Street, 23rd Street, 34th Street, 42nd Street and 57th Street.
9The effect is "more dramatic," observers say, further east in the city.
10You can even see it from some parts of the borough of Queens.
11The term "Manhattanhenge" comes from famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
12An astrophysicist studies the physics and chemistry of stars.
13DeGrasse Tyson came up with the name in a 1997 magazine piece.
14He said he thought of it because he went to see Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England when he was a boy.
15DeGrasse Tyson was part of a group of scientists who came up with the idea that Stonehenge was an ancient astronomical observatory.
16In England, the rays of the sun hit the stone circle at the summer solstice.
17The solstice is the day when the sun reaches its northernmost point in the sky and also marks the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
18The ancient people who built Stonehenge between 5,000 and 3,500 years ago probably planned for their structure to line up with the setting sun.
19But those who built the tall buildings and laid out New York City did not plan for the special sunsets.
20It just worked out that way.
21Some people still take time to celebrate the event.
22People gather on the streets about 30 minutes before sunset and start taking pictures.
23Other cities with street layouts similar to New York also have their "Henges."
24In Baltimore and Chicago, they happen in March and September.
25In Toronto, it happens in February and October.
26But in New York, it is more "striking," because of the tall buildings and the long view along the wide streets all the way to the Hudson River.
27I'm Dan Friedell.
1When the setting sun lines up just right with the buildings in New York City, it is called "Manhattanhenge." 2The name combines the words "Manhattan," New York City's central area, and "Stonehenge," an ancient group of stones in Britain. 3The sun sets in line with the tall buildings in the city four times each year. 4The final time for 2022 is going to be Tuesday, July 12. 5At about 8 p.m. local time, people will be able to see the sun going down along the Hudson River on the city's west side. 6For the fourth time this year, however, it will be a special view. That is because the buildings along the wide streets that go East and West perfectly frame the sun. 7Wide streets with especially good views are 14th Street, 23rd Street, 34th Street, 42nd Street and 57th Street. 8The effect is "more dramatic," observers say, further east in the city. You can even see it from some parts of the borough of Queens. 9The term "Manhattanhenge" comes from famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. An astrophysicist studies the physics and chemistry of stars. DeGrasse Tyson came up with the name in a 1997 magazine piece. He said he thought of it because he went to see Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England when he was a boy. 10DeGrasse Tyson was part of a group of scientists who came up with the idea that Stonehenge was an ancient astronomical observatory. In England, the rays of the sun hit the stone circle at the summer solstice. The solstice is the day when the sun reaches its northernmost point in the sky and also marks the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. 11The ancient people who built Stonehenge between 5,000 and 3,500 years ago probably planned for their structure to line up with the setting sun. But those who built the tall buildings and laid out New York City did not plan for the special sunsets. It just worked out that way. 12Some people still take time to celebrate the event. 13People gather on the streets about 30 minutes before sunset and start taking pictures. 14Other cities with street layouts similar to New York also have their "Henges." In Baltimore and Chicago, they happen in March and September. In Toronto, it happens in February and October. 15But in New York, it is more "striking," because of the tall buildings and the long view along the wide streets all the way to the Hudson River. 16I'm Dan Friedell. 17Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on reports by the Associated Press. 18____________________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20frame- v. to appear inside an open structure in way that is similar to the way a frame contains a picture 21view -n. the things that can be seen from a particular place 22dramatic -adj. greatly affecting people's emotions 23striking - adj. unusual or extreme in a way that gains people's attention 24___________________________________________________________ 25What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. 26We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 27Write your comment in the box. 28Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. 29Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with "D" on it. It is free. 30Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.