From Monday, 14 July to Wednesday 16 July, residents of Manhattan will get a special treat: a complete sunset. On a typical evening in Manhattan, someone facing west on the east-west streets will see the sun set behind a building. On these special days, and their companion days in December, the sun will instead rise and set directly over the street, visible until it disappears over the horizon. The effect is astounding: shadows stretch to infinity, and the sun seems to descend on the street traffic just blocks away.
This magic is possible because the famous grid pattern of Manhattan’s streets is oriented 29.5 degrees off-center, keyed off of Amersterdam Avenue. On the special days, the sun also rises and sets on this same line, creating a perfect alignment.
You’ll read about this effect in the local papers. Unfortunately, there’s no name for this phenomena, making it awkward to talk about. If the Manhattan streets ran perfectly east-west, we could use the handy summer equinox or winter equinox. Alas, John Randel had different ideas. So, it needs a name. We suggest: the Manhattan Equinox. Lovely, yes?
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