What is a Street Alignment?

What is a Street Alignment?

A street alignment occurs when the rising or setting sun aligns precisely with the orientation of a street grid. During these moments, sunlight travels unobstructed down the length of the street, illuminating both sides of the road and creating dramatic long shadows. Buildings become silhouettes against a blazing sky, and the entire scene takes on an almost otherworldly glow.

The concept gained popular attention through "Manhattanhenge" - a term coined by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson to describe the phenomenon in New York City, where the setting sun aligns with Manhattan's east-west streets twice a year. The name draws a deliberate parallel to Stonehenge, the ancient monument designed to align with the sun during solstices.

But you don't need to travel to New York or Wiltshire to experience this magic. Australian cities, with their planned street grids and generally clear skies, offer some of the best conditions anywhere in the world for witnessing street alignments.

The Science Behind It

The science is beautifully simple. Earth orbits the sun on a tilted axis - about 23.5 degrees from vertical. This tilt is what gives us seasons, but it also means the sun rises and sets at different positions along the horizon throughout the year.

In the southern hemisphere, the sun rises in the east and arcs across the northern sky before setting in the west. During summer, it rises and sets further south; during winter, further north. Only during the equinoxes in March and September does the sun rise due east and set due west.

Streets aren't laid out randomly. City planners typically orient grids along cardinal directions or at specific angles for practical reasons: maximising sunlight in winter, catching cooling breezes, or following the natural geography. When the sun's position on the horizon matches the bearing of a street, you get an alignment.

Here's the key insight: every street with a clear sightline to the horizon has specific dates when the sun aligns with it. A street running east-west will align during the equinoxes. A street angled slightly northeast will align on different dates - perhaps in April and August. Streets facing more northerly directions might only align in deep winter, while southerly-angled streets align in summer.

This means that, unlike Manhattanhenge's two specific dates, Australian cities experience alignments throughout the entire year on different streets. There's almost always one happening somewhere.

Why Australian Cities?

Australia is remarkably well-suited for street alignments, for several reasons.

First, many Australian cities were planned with geometric precision. Melbourne's Hoddle Grid, designed by surveyor Robert Hoddle in 1837, features perfectly straight streets aligned roughly east-west and north-south. Adelaide's Light Plan, named after Colonel William Light, created a similar grid surrounded by parklands. Even Sydney, despite its organic early growth, has grid sections in areas like the CBD and Surry Hills.

Second, Australia's latitude works in our favour. Cities like Sydney (34°S) and Melbourne (37°S) experience a wider range of sun positions throughout the year compared to tropical cities, creating more alignment opportunities. Yet we're not so far south that winter sun becomes too weak or days too short to enjoy.

Third, Australian weather is generally cooperative. Clear skies are common, especially during autumn and spring when many alignments occur. Even in Melbourne - famous for its changeable weather - clear evenings happen often enough to catch these moments regularly.

Finally, Australia's relatively low-rise urban landscape means longer sightlines. Unlike Manhattan's towering skyscrapers that block the sun until the last moment, many Australian streets offer clear views to the horizon, extending the alignment window and creating gentler, more prolonged golden light.

When Do They Happen?

Street alignments are most spectacular around the equinoxes in late March and late September, when the sun rises and sets closest to due east and west. During these periods, any street oriented along an east-west axis will experience alignments.

But alignments happen year-round. The key is knowing the bearing of your street and matching it to the sun's position on the horizon.

In summer, the sun rises and sets further south, so streets angled slightly southeast to southwest will align. In winter, it's the opposite - streets with more northerly orientations get their moment. Mid-latitude Australian cities typically experience alignment conditions for most streets at some point during the year.

The exact date and time vary not just by street orientation but by your geographic location. A street in Perth will align on different dates than an identically-oriented street in Sydney, simply because of their different longitudes and latitudes. This complexity is precisely why tools like CityHenge exist - calculating these alignments manually would require spherical trigonometry and astronomical tables.

Sunrise vs Sunset Alignments

Both sunrise and sunset create stunning alignments, but they have different characters.

Sunrise alignments mean early starts - often before 6am in summer - but reward you with quieter streets, cooler temperatures, and a sense of solitude. The light tends to be cleaner and sharper, without the haze that can build up during the day. East-facing streets obviously get sunrise alignments.

Sunset alignments are more accessible for most people's schedules and often benefit from atmospheric haze that softens and warms the light even further. Streets facing west get sunset alignments. City centres often buzz with activity during evening alignments, adding human elements - commuters, cyclists, couples - to your compositions.

Some photographers prefer one over the other, but the best approach is to appreciate both for their unique qualities.

How to Experience One

Witnessing your first street alignment doesn't require expensive equipment or expert knowledge - just some basic preparation.

Start by finding out when an alignment will occur on a street near you. CityHenge predicts alignments across 17 Australian cities, showing you exactly which streets will align and when.

Arrive at your chosen location at least 20 minutes before the predicted alignment time. This gives you time to find a good vantage point, adjust your position, and simply soak in the building anticipation.

Safety matters. You'll be looking toward the sun on a street likely filled with traffic. Find a position on a footpath, in a median strip, or on elevated ground where you can watch safely. Never stand in traffic lanes, and be aware of vehicles around you.

Bring sunglasses for comfort during the lead-up, but know that the sun will be much easier to look at during the actual alignment when it's sitting on the horizon. The atmosphere filters much of the harsh light when the sun is this low.

If you're photographing, a smartphone is perfectly adequate - modern phones handle challenging lighting surprisingly well. For more control, a camera with manual settings lets you capture everything from the blazing sun to the shadowed street in a single frame.

Most importantly, take a moment to simply watch. The alignment itself lasts only ten to fifteen minutes - less if buildings block your sightline - and it passes quickly. Don't spend the entire time looking through a viewfinder. Experience it directly at least once.

Discover Your City's Alignments

Every Australian city has its alignment moments waiting to be discovered. Melbourne's Collins Street glowing amber on an autumn evening. Adelaide's King William Street channelling the sunrise. Brisbane's riverside towers catching the light as the sun drops over the western suburbs.

CityHenge maps these moments across 17 Australian cities, from major capitals to regional centres. Whether you're a photographer chasing perfect light, an urban explorer seeking new perspectives on familiar streets, or simply someone who appreciates those rare moments when a city reveals its hidden beauty, street alignments offer something genuinely magical.

All you need to do is look up, pay attention, and be in the right place at the right time.