Update: Manhattanhenge on 28 May 2007

20070528.2017 - Sunset for Manhattanhenge

(photo from last year, read about it here)

There is correspondence bouncing around Team TotL that Manhattanhenge May 2007 is tonight. Charlie referenced the Manhattan-henge article on the Hayden Planetarium website. I referenced a message from their email newsletter service star-struck. This article provides the following sunset dates for Manhattan-henge around these dates:

• May 28 at 8:10 PM
• July 11 at 8:27 PM

It appears that most will observe the event tonight, especially since I heard this date more than once from others. I'll most likely join others at 34th & Park Ave. Arriving by 8pm will be adequate to watch the sun set into New Jersey, requiring at least 15 minutes before sunset. Sunset is the time when the sun's upper limb descends below the horizon. That is the Sun has disappeared from our view. To observe the Manhattanhange, one begins watching prior to sunset.

It has been a lot of fun in the past and the energy created by the interested persons is uplifting. In spite of its small scale, it is one of those events that brings New Yorkers together in harmony. Where else can one see when a traffic light change for red and a hundred or more people rush the center line flashing away?

Lastly, listen to the caution that many will voice: Don't look at the Sun directly as it is harmful and dangerous to one's eyesight.

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Want to know more about sunset?
U.S. Naval Observatory
- Rise, Set, and Twilight Definitions

- Complete Sun and Moon Data for One Day calculator

Wikipedia
- Sunset

Fox Lane High School
- LENGTH OF DAY ON THE EQUINOX

Practice Henge

Charlie, Kin, and I met up at 34th and Park for the second Manhattan-henge event of the year. Charlie had found two dates: 11 July from American Museum of Natural History and 12 July from Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD). From the looks of this evening's turn out and that the Sun did not set between the buildings/street probably means that folks will turn out for it tonight on 12 July 2006. The hazy sky did not help but I thought that if the Sun did creep into that less-than-two-degree-corridor-between-the-buildings that it would be strong enough to punch through that crud. In fact, the haze could be a benefit to attenuate the Sun's brilliance for sharper photos and brief naked eye views.

While waiting, a few others showed up. John arrived with a video camera mounted on a monopod. He was going to shoot the event for a cable TV program. It turned out to be a practice run for him. A family of 3 showed up, as well. Dad had seen the Sun earlier in the day remarking that it was hardly seen. He was still optimistic that we might see something. Perhaps we'll see them again tonight. Although the event didn't happen the way we expected the meeting of this small group was just as enjoyable.

An empty intersection, looking south. Compare to this.

Back on 28 May, the last Henge event, the Sun set around azimuth 298°32'. This value was determined by using a value for the Sun's elevation at 0°28', and the angular size of the Sun is approximately 31'34".

On 11 July, at 8:20pm the Sun was 0°29' altitude with an azimuth of 299°09'. The Sun's angular size, according to Planetarium for the Palm, is 31'28".

On 12 July, at 8:20pm the Sun will be 0°25' altitude with an azimuth of 299°02'. The Sun's angular size remains unchanged at 31'28".

For both dates the ecliptic is almost 45°. Actually, May appears steeper with possibly a 60° incline as opposed to a 45° for July.

Given the azimuth values, the Sun will set slightly North, 30 arc minutes, which is nearly a solar diameter. From my point of view at 34th & Park, the street corridor is slightly less than my forefinger extended at arm's length. A finger width is estimated to be 2°. I haven't calibrated that measurement to be any more exact ;^D but my guess is that the angular measurement of the street to 1° 45'. That measurement yields a street corridor measurement in terms of solar diameters to be ~3 ½.

This evening we didn't even see a hint of the Sun but it should have passed through our field of view. Unless I missed something the Sun set south of the street opening. Weather conditions don't look promising for tonight but will probably go and check it out to see if a crowd turns out.

peter

Manhattanhenge July 2007

Session name: 20070712.1945


The second occurrence of Manhattanhenge is Friday the Thirteenth, 13 July 2007 when the event begins approximately 8:20PM EDT and the sunsets 8:27PM EDT. The weather forecast for this date had not been promising so I took advantage of the clear skies this day.

In the past I have observed Manhattanhenge with throngs of others at 34th & Park Ave. Along the sidewalks we wait for the light to change red and rush for the yellow centerline, jockeying for the best position. Those in the foreground obscure our view of the horizon and soil the photo opportunity. This year I observed both events from Summit Rock in Central Park where I can set up unencumbered without any obstacles and remain stationary for the entire event. Two other folks observed sunset from the hillock behind me.

Sunset was too bright for the naked eye - a "painful" brilliance. I watched the entire sunset through the homemade solar paddle and on the small LCD of the camera.




A Manhattanhenge movie created from a series of digital stills taken on 12 July 2007 around 8:15pm with a Nikon Coolpix 995 from Summit Rock in Central Park (map). The view is looking west over the valley of 83rd St into the Palisades of New Jersey across the Hudson River. The duration from when the Sun first breaks the building to sunset is approximately 11 minutes 30 seconds. (Haven't calibrated the camera's clock with actual time.)

After the Sun set, I observed the horizon with handheld 7x50 binoculars. A low hanging cloud caught my attention where the upper rim glowed neon orange-red. It is pictured below and this was a first for me. I don't know the proper term for this atmospheric phenomenon.



Want to to receive alerts about this, as well as other AMNH and astronomy-related news? Subscribe to star-struck.

Want to learn more details. Astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Director of the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium, describes the circumstances of this NYC phenomenon in a few places. Check out the following to get started.

Nova scienceNow : Manhattanhenge videocast

American Museum of Natural History: Manhattan-henge (star-struck article)

Time to move on

The weather hasn't been so great here so when the Sun began to shine I decided to look up. I continued with the manhattan henge sunset effect which was beter today. Holding a solar filter that I use with my Tak refractor, I was able to watch the Sun set into the building on the Jersey side of the Hudson River.

As described previously, the summer ecliptic lies more shallow than the spring ecliptic causing the Sun to move horizontally as well as vertically during its apparent descent. So this setting effect seen down the streets is not restricted to one specific day. It will occur for a few days to come. Since the 57th St. and 7th Ave. intersection is nearby my home, I snapped a couple of photos of the Sun setting into the building.

During sunset, unadulterated solar splash

Sunset behind the building that sits on the New Jersey shore.

Like "monkey see, monkey do", people saw me standing in the street snapping photos or walking away from having taken some and they would hold their cameras and point-n-shoot into the general direction that I was shooting. I was amused because a lot of people did this. Only a couple asked and they asked to look through the filter.

Since the escalations in the mideast with Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Iran, the police presence around Carnegie Hall increased. Thanfully the police didn't bat an eye when I run into the middle of the street to hold up this silly filter every time the traffic light changed. Anything goes in the city. The gothamist has a link to a youtube video that sort of reinforces this.

Lastly, I couldn't get enough of that burger flavor that I went back to Madison Sqaure Park for more. Since the weather was fine, the line three times as long as the night before. I gotta admit them Shake Shack burgers are damn good and worth the effort! As for the hot dogs, you won't be missing anything if you pass on them.

This had been sitting the drafts. If not anything else, some pictures of New York.

Manhattan Henge - Weathered out

The pictures describe it best. Even though it rained and it was gloomy dark from the overcast clouds, at one point a red sunset streak broke thorugh the clouds above the horizon. But for the most part it was bust from this side of the clouds.

From the soutwest corner looking east into the intersection where people would have gathered.

Looking west down 34th Street. Base of the Empire State Bldg. on the right left side.

57th & 7th intersection, looking west. That monlithic structure in the middle sits on the New Jersey side of the river.

On the brighter side, I did grab two cheeseburgers & fries from Shake Shack. A lot of buzz about this "burger joint" (the name of another burger restaurant) that is notoriously known for the long, writhing line thorugh the Madison Square Park. This Shake Shack link even provides a webcam to see how long the line is.

If I had to choose between the two, I'd favor Shake Shack burgers - lighter, more flavorful, good bread. And then there is corner bistro's burger. There are other good spots around the city but these are certainly cheap-n-cheerful eats worth the trip at least once...and, you can get beer to wash them burgers down.

Henge

Much is written about this event where front row seats - any seats for that matter - are in Manhattan only. Charlie had spoke of and planned for this event so when he said he was going to watch it from 34th & Park, I assumed that he would be the all alone like a misplaced scientist with his tripod mounted camera in the middle of the street. Far from it...

Looking down (manhattan-south) Park Ave when the traffic light turned red.

Another shot, looking northeast into the intersection during red light.

I was more amused by the people that assembled here just two blocks east of the Empire State Building. I can only assume that a number of other cross streets were people magnets from where one witnesses this twice a year sunset. This will occur again on 11 July when he Sun aligns once again. If we could only arrange a total solar eclipse at the same time.

Time was suspended while all this was happening. Impressive was seeing Sun emerge from the north side of the Empire State Building and then float centered above the New Jersey shore.. The certain magnificance was reinforced by the throng that attended and held reverence for Sol. I guess minutes ticked by as the traffic light was regulated a beat that orchestrated people from street to curb to street to curb. This happened at least four times.

The solar orb was a hypnotic orange, easily observed naked eye and through the hand held bins. I had the bins away from my eyes so I didn't notice the spots Charlie and I saw yesterday. They weren't that large anyways. Sol creeped north along as it sank lower the street window

Waiting for the crescent Moon to appear from behind the Empire State Building

And there were more people with film cameras than I expected. I think phone cameras still walked away as most popular.