Sunday, September 22, 2024

APOD - Chicagohenge: Equinox in an Aligned City

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

2024 September 22
A picture of the Sun setting at the end of a long  city street is shown.   Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Chicagohenge: Equinox in an Aligned City
Image Credit & Copyright: Anthony Artese

Explanation: Chicago, in a way, is like a modern Stonehenge. The way is east to west, and the time is today. Today, and every equinox, the Sun will set exactly to the west, everywhere on Earth. Therefore, today in Chicago, the Sun will set directly down the long equatorially-aligned grid of streets and buildings, an event dubbed #chicagohenge. Featured here is a Chicago Henge picture taken during the equinox in mid-September of 2017 looking along part of Upper Wacker Drive. Many cities, though, have streets or other features that are well-aligned to Earth's spin axis. Therefore, quite possibly, your favorite street may also run east - west. Tonight at sunset, with a quick glance, you can actually find out.

Tomorrow's picture: comet approaches


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