Overview
- The final Manhattanhenge displays for 2026 will feature a full sun on the grid tonight, Saturday, July 11 at 8:20 p.m. EDT, and a half-sun alignment on Sunday, July 12 at 8:21 p.m. EDT, giving New Yorkers one last chance to see the spectacle.
- The American Museum of Natural History is staging a 7 p.m. ticketed 3D presentation by astronomer Jackie Faherty, an outdoor viewing event with live music after the lecture, and a free block party beginning at 3 p.m. on Saturday to host attendees.
- Museum officials and reporters recommend prime vantage points on wide east–west streets—14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd and 57th Streets—and alternative sites like the Tudor City Overpass and Hunter’s Point South Park, and they advise arriving early because intersections can become crowded.
- The effect happens because Manhattan’s street grid is rotated about 29–30 degrees from true north, which makes the setting sun line up with the cross streets on predictable dates around the summer solstice.
- A related solar event on Wednesday, Aug. 12 will bring a partial eclipse visible from New York City with about 10% maximum obscuration, and observers should plan to use certified eclipse glasses if they watch the midday event.