“Apparently it was something called Manhattanhenge where the sunset aligns perfectly in the middle of two buildings in Manhattan.”
“Apparently it was something called Manhattanhenge where the sunset aligns perfectly in the middle of two buildings in Manhattan.”
People in New York caused traffic chaos in the city to gather for a celestial sensation likened to Britain’s ancient Stonehenge.
On certain dates in high summer, the setting sun aligns with New York’s east-west street grid bringing out thousands of spectators.
This viral footage of this year’s Manhatanhenge sensation has been viewed more than 1.2 million times.
It shows crowds of people bringing the city’s traffic to a standstill as they take pictures and film the sunset oblivious to honking horns.
Apparently oblivious to the cars, people wander across the streets glued to the cameras in their phones.
At one point a young woman dances her way across a street being filmed by a companion.
New Yorker astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, 63, coined the phrase ‘Manhattanhenge.’
The event is similar to Britain’s ancient stone circle Stonehenge, built to highlight the alignment of the sun during the summer solstice on June 21.
This Manhattanhenge was recorded on May 29 by a woman who said she was called Al Junaidi, although she only uploaded it to TikTok on June 13. The footage has since notched up over 1.2 million views and over 236,000 likes despite Al Junaidi only having 435 followers.
Manhattanhenge can be seen every year on approximately May 29 to May 30 and then around July 11 and 12.
It is said to be especially spectacular on 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd and 57th Streets.
Zenger News spoke to Al Junaidi, 24, who is from the Bay Area in California, in an exclusive interview.
She said it was “definitely not normal for New York but apparently it was something called Manhattanhenge where the sunset aligns perfectly in the middle of two buildings in Manhattan.”
She added: “It was just a very crazy scene to see everyone pinned in the street with their phones, not caring about anyone trying to pass.
Al Junaidi said: “It was very entertaining and the woman dancing was definitely the cherry on top of it all.”
In the footage, she can be heard saying: “All these people, taking these pictures, making traffic, to take a video of the sun. Like they’ve never seen a sunset before in their life.
“What is this? What is this? Oh my God!”
A woman then appears to start dancing in the street, with Al Junaidi saying: “Oh sh*t! Oh sh*t! She going down!”
She can be heard laughing as the footage ends.
