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Manhattanhenge is happening this weekend

Jessica Durando
USA TODAY

Manhattanhenge is happening this weekend.

The sun sets along 42nd Street in Manhattan during the phenomenon known as Manhattanhenge, when the sun aligns perfectly with the city's transit grid, on May 29, 2013.

The phenomenon occurs "when the setting sun aligns precisely with the Manhattan street grid, creating a radiant glow of light across Manhattan's brick and steel canyons, simultaneously illuminating both the north and south sides of every cross street of the borough's grid," writes Neil deGrasse Tyson, head of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City.

The event starts at 8:12 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings, according to AccuWeather.com.

For optimal viewing: "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," according to the Hayden Planetarium.

There are expected to be clear skies on Friday and some clouds Saturday, AccWeather Meteorologist Mike Doll says. "The clouds could make the sunset more picturesque," he adds.

Tyson says Manhattanhenge is an homage to Stonehenge in the Salisbury Plain of England. For Stonehenge, the special day is the summer solstice, when the sun rises in perfect alignment with several of the stones, signaling the change of season.

According to AccuWeather.com, Manhattanhenge happens four times a year, twice in the summer during sunset and twice during the winter during sunrise.

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