Overview
- The first 2026 half‑sun alignment occurred Thursday at 8:14 p.m. EDT and a full‑sun alignment is scheduled Friday at 8:13 p.m. EDT with a seasonal Blue Moon set to rise shortly after sunset.
- Officials and guides recommend viewing from broad east‑west avenues such as 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd and 57th Streets and from Tudor City Overpass and Hunter’s Point South Park, and they advise arriving early because the spectacle lasts only a few minutes.
- The spectacle happens because Manhattan’s street grid is rotated about 30 degrees east of true north so the sun’s seasonal shift lines up with streets roughly three weeks before and after the summer solstice.
- The broader Manhattanhenge Effect runs from late May through July 12 and offers two more precise alignments this year on July 11 and July 12 for photographers and visitors who miss the May dates.
- Beyond the photo opportunity, scientists say the event gives urban residents a quick, shared chance to notice basic astronomical facts about Earth’s tilt and orbit and to reconnect with the sky.