Hobokenhenge Appears To Arrive A Few Days Before Manhattanhenge

HOBOKEN, NJ — It's a photographer's dream — warm rays of sunlight beaming like lasers down certain east-west streets in Manhattan several times a year. Admirers have dubbed the phenomenon "Manhattanhenge" or the "Manhattan Solstice," and it happens in Hoboken too, usually within a few days of the other.

Monday night, the sun didn't fully align with Hoboken's grid, but it was close. Here are a few photos. Sunset Tuesday evening might provide more orange vistas, except that thunderstorms are in the forecast for Hoboken just before 8 p.m.

"Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain," the National Weather Service says.

Sunset in Hoboken on Tuesday will be 8:30 p.m. (Sunrise was around 5:30 a.m. That's a long day!)

The Hobokenhenge phenomenon has made Twitter over the years. Here's one photo.

Manhattan Version Next Week

So when is the Manhattan solstice? The Old Farmer's Almanac predicts it will be next Monday and Tuesday, July 12 and 13, around 8:20 p.m. and 8:21 p.m. respectively. The full effect will be Monday.

"Twice each year," explains the Almanac, "a couple of weeks before and a couple of weeks after the summer solstice, when the azimuth for sunset is 29° northward of due west, the setting sun aligns with the east-west streets at the moment it sits on the horizon."

The Almanac also advises, "The best streets to capture the event are the larger cross streets that ensure the best views of the west-northwest horizon (toward New Jersey), including 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd, and 57th." Find out more here.

If you get a good photo of a Hoboken sunset this week that you want us to post, email us here and tell us how you want the photo credit to read.

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