Keep your eyes (and your smartphones) on the skies tonight during your evening commute: "Manhattanhenge", the twice-yearly event during which the sunset aligns with the city's street grid on the horizon, begins Tuesday evening at 8.17pm ET.
"Manhattan's brick and steel canyons, simultaneously illuminating both the north and south sides of every cross street of the borough's grid. A rare and beautiful sight," writes Neil deGrasse Tyson of the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium.
Here are deGrasse's tips for catching a clear view:
For best effect, position yourself as far east in Manhattan as possible. But ensure that when you look west across the avenues you can still see New Jersey. Clear cross streets include 14th, 23rd, 34th. 42nd, 57th, and several streets adjacent to them. The Empire State building and the Chrysler building render 34th street and 42nd streets especially striking vistas.
This year, Manhattanhenge occurs May 29 and July 12. If you haven't figured as much already, the moniker comes from Stonehenge, where the sun aligns with the stones on the winter and summer solstices.
Map: Head east, look west
Will you be watching Manhattanhenge tonight?
Share the view with us by tweeting your pictures to @GuardianUS. If you can't make it out tonight, don't fret – you'll be able to see the slightly less spectacular view of the full sun tomorrow. Here's a timelapse video of last year's grid-aligned sunset:
