In honor of my previous post about norms and the "Manhattan norm" (distance as measured in city blocks from point to point, such the route a taxicab would take from Grand Central to the Empire State Building), Wednesday (July 11, 2012) was Manhattanhenge, in which the setting sun aligns with the street grid of Manhattan. Because the grid is rotated 30 degrees from geographic north, the "Manhattan solstice" does not actually correspond with the points at which the arc of the sun reaches the extreme northerly or southerly limits.
In Manhattan, this day is marked by crowds of paparazzi at the eastern ends of the major avenues all hoping that the weather will work out so that they can get their photo, while camera fiends dart out into sidewalks and traffic hoping for the perfect shot as puzzled onlookers try to figure out what the big deal is. As evidenced by the photos online at MSNBC, Wednesday (full sun on the grid) had great weather, but for some Thursday (half sun on the grid) fizzled due to low clouds, although apparently some people did get good photos.
If you missed the show, photographers say that a similar effect can be had all week, although the sun won't be perfectly aligned with the grid.
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