Manhattanhenge 2026: Dates, Times & Forecast
Manhattanhenge is the handful of evenings each year when the setting sun lines up exactly with Manhattan's east–west cross streets, lighting the whole canyon of buildings and sitting framed at the end of the street. It happens twice in early summer (once in late May and once in mid-July), with a quieter sunrise version in early December and early January.
- Next Manhattanhenge
Sunrise · Wednesday, December 2, 2026
Full sun at 7:05 AM (New York time) · predicted
- Forecast
Check back on Thursday, November 26 to see Alpenglow's sunrise forecast for Manhattanhenge. Forecasts open up 6 days ahead. Until then, here's the current New York sunrise forecast.
Manhattanhenge dates and times
| Date | Event | Time (New York) |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, December 2, 2026 | Sunrise · full sun | 7:05 AM |
| Thursday, December 3, 2026 | Sunrise · half sun | 7:04 AM |
| Saturday, January 9, 2027 | Sunrise · half sun | 7:21 AM |
| Sunday, January 10, 2027 | Sunrise · full sun | 7:23 AM |
| Saturday, May 29, 2027 | Sunset · half sun | 8:14 PM |
| Sunday, May 30, 2027 | Sunset · full sun | 8:13 PM |
| Monday, July 12, 2027 | Sunset · full sun | 8:21 PM |
| Tuesday, July 13, 2027 | Sunset · half sun | 8:23 PM |
Times are when the sun sits centred at the end of the street. Official times come from the Hayden Planetarium (AMNH); other dates are predicted by Alpenglow and may differ by a day.
How Manhattanhenge works
Manhattan's street grid isn't aligned to true east–west: it's rotated about 29° clockwise, so the cross streets point toward a spot on the horizon roughly 30° north of due west. The sun only sets that far north for a few weeks either side of the June solstice, so it crosses that exact spot twice: once on the way north in late May, and again on the way back in July.
Each alignment comes as a pair of evenings. On the 'half sun' evening the sun is half above and half below the horizon when it sits centred in the street; on the 'full sun' evening the whole disk sits just above the horizon. The term was popularised by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, and the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium publishes official times each year.
The same streets point toward a sunrise spot in the southeast that the sun reaches in early December and again in early January: "reverse Manhattanhenge". Look east from the west end of the cross streets; the sun has to clear Queens and Brooklyn first, so it appears a few minutes after the time listed.
Where to watch
- The classic cross streets
- 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd and 57th Streets are wide, run straight to the Hudson and have a clear view to New Jersey. Stand as far east as you can while still seeing the horizon. The further back you are, the more of the street the sun lights up.
- Tudor City Overpass and Queens
- The Tudor City Overpass above 42nd Street is the famous vantage point, and Hunter’s Point South Park in Long Island City looks straight down the same line from across the East River. Both get crowded, so arrive 30–45 minutes early.
- Be careful in the street
- Watch from the sidewalk or a safe island, not the middle of the avenue. Traffic doesn’t stop for the sunset.
Plan the exact direction with the sun direction calculator, and check the New York sunset forecast to see whether the sky will cooperate.
Manhattanhenge FAQ
How long does Manhattanhenge last?
The perfect alignment lasts only a few minutes around the listed time, as the sun drops through the last couple of degrees above the horizon. The evenings either side of each date still look very similar, so if the forecast is poor on the day, the day before or after is worth a try.
Why are there two dates in May and two in July?
Each alignment has a "half sun" evening (the sun half-hidden by the horizon as it sits in the street) and a "full sun" evening when the whole disk sits just above the horizon. They fall on consecutive days.
Are these dates official?
When the Hayden Planetarium has published a year's times we show those, marked as official. Other dates are computed by Alpenglow from the sun's position and Manhattan's street bearing, and land within about a day of the official times. Check back closer to the date.
What if it is cloudy?
The alignment happens whether you can see it or not, so the weather decides everything. A clear horizon toward the sun matters most: low cloud or haze along the horizon hides the sun before it reaches the street. Broken mid- or high-level cloud overhead can add colour. Alpenglow forecasts sunset and sunrise quality up to 7 days ahead, so check the forecast for the alignment day and the days either side, when the effect is nearly as good.
Other city alignments
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