VOA新闻杂志2022--纽约人准备迎接“曼哈顿悬日”

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New Yorkers Prepare for ‘Manhattanhenge’ Sunset

When the setting sun lines up just right with the buildings in New York City, it is called "Manhattanhenge."

The name combines the words "Manhattan," New York City's central area, and "Stonehenge," an ancient group of stones in Britain.

The sun sets in line with the tall buildings in the city four times each year.

The final time for 2022 is going to be Tuesday, July 12.

At about 8 p.m. local time, people will be able to see the sun going down along the Hudson River on the city's west side.

For the fourth time this year, however, it will be a special view. That is because the buildings along the wide streets that go East and West perfectly¹ frame the sun.

Wide streets with especially good views are 14th Street, 23rd Street, 34th Street, 42nd Street and 57th Street.

The effect is "more dramatic," observers say, further east in the city. You can even see it from some parts of the borough² of Queens.

The term "Manhattanhenge" comes from famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. An astrophysicist studies the physics and chemistry of stars. DeGrasse Tyson came up with the name in a 1997 magazine piece. He said he thought of it because he went to see Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England when he was a boy.

DeGrasse Tyson was part of a group of scientists who came up with the idea that Stonehenge was an ancient astronomical³ observatory⁴. In England, the rays of the sun hit the stone circle at the summer solstice. The solstice is the day when the sun reaches its northernmost point in the sky and also marks the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere⁵.

The ancient people who built Stonehenge between 5,000 and 3,500 years ago probably planned for their structure to line up with the setting sun. But those who built the tall buildings and laid out New York City did not plan for the special sunsets. It just worked out that way.

Some people still take time to celebrate the event.

People gather on the streets about 30 minutes before sunset and start taking pictures.

Other cities with street layouts similar to New York also have their "Henges." In Baltimore and Chicago, they happen in March and September. In Toronto, it happens in February and October.

But in New York, it is more "striking⁶," because of the tall buildings and the long view along the wide streets all the way to the Hudson River.

Words in This Story

frame– v. to appear inside an open structure in way that is similar to the way a frame contains a picture

view –n. the things that can be seen from a particular place

dramatic –adj. greatly affecting people's emotions

striking – adj. unusual or extreme in a way that gains people's attention

1 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

2 borough   

n.享有自治权的市镇；(英)自治市镇

参考例句：

• He was slated for borough president.他被提名做自治区主席。
• That's what happened to Harry Barritt of London's Bromley borough.住在伦敦的布罗姆利自治市的哈里.巴里特就经历了此事。

3 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

4 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

5 hemisphere   

n.半球，半球地图

参考例句：

• This animal is to be found only in the Southern Hemisphere.这种动物只有在南半球才能找到。
• In most people,the left hemisphere is bigger than the right.多数人的左脑比右脑大。

6 striking   

adj.显著的，惹人注目的，容貌出众的

参考例句：

• There is a striking difference between Jane and Mary.简和玛丽之间有显著的差异。
• What is immediately striking is how resourceful the children are.最令人注目的是孩子们的机智聪明。