Torontohenge: What is it?

You’ve probably heard about it on your favourite radio show, saw someone’s photo on Facebook, or noticed the hashtag #torontohenge on Instagram. There were many photos taken of the cityscape on Tuesday, October 25th in Toronto due this perfect photo op phenomenon called, Torontohenge.

So what is the Torontohenge?

The Torontohenge happens twice a year as the sun aligns perfectly with the city’s east-west street grid. This creates the perfect sunset in the streets of Toronto for everyone to see! It’s a phenomenon that happens in certain large cities at different times of the year, depending on where the city’s east-west gridlines sit. This year on Tuesday, October 25th, the sun was perfect and the sky was clear in “The Six”!

What’s with the name?

The reason why it is called the Torontohenge can date back thousands of years to when stonehenges were used to tell the date and time. However, this “city” based term caught on all thanks to the famous astrophysicist who you’ve might of seen on TV, Neil deGrasse Tyson. He made the term “Manhattanhenge” cool enough that various cities have adopted it and made it their own by replacing “Manhattan” with their own city name.

When can I expect the next Torontohenge?

The Torontohenge happens every year around February16th and October 25th so you’ll definitely have another chance to wow your friends with your photos. Fingers-crossed that the sky is clear and the streets freshly paved with snow to get the best photo op!