Torontohenge
Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson first coined the term Manhattanhenge to describe the alignment of sunrises and sunsets with the streets of New York City. The word and the phenomenon both became popularized by one of his photoessays for the Natural History magazine.
In comparison, Torontohenge is not nearly as well-known, but no less spectacular. Like Manhattanhenge, Toorntohenge occurs four times a year; two sunrises and two sunsets. But all the events are not on the same dates, as Toronto’s urban grid is not parallel to that of New York City. Typically, the sunrise in Toronto is aligned with east-west streets in April and August, whereas the sunset rendition of Torontohenge takes place in October and February.
Torontohenge is perhaps best known amongst a small cadre of local photographers, who take up strategic vantage points on Queen Street and King Street to try and capture this celestial alignment. Count me amongst that exclusive group. In late 2023, just before the fourth and final TorontoHenge occurrences of the year, I was interviewed by CTV News, CBC Radio’s Metro Morning and Radio Canada on my approach to photographing TorontoHenge.
Some of my Torontohenge photographs can be purchased in my Photograph Shoppe, either as standalone prints and as a diptych.
The first TorontoHenge in 2024 will take place on Feb 15. With this date rather close to Valentine’s Day, hit me up if you and your someone special would like a Valentine’s portrait with a REDsplendent celestial cityscape in the background.
