Manhattanhenge 2015
Get ready for Manhattanhenge! Reuters

There are a few things that will get New Yorkers to stop for a few minutes and Manhattanhenge is one such event. Beginning Friday, Manhattanhenge 2015 takes place and all it requires is a good viewing spot in city. On Friday, NYC will experience a half-grid alignment while Saturday will feature a full-grid alignment.

Manhattanhenge, a nickname coined by Neil deGrasse Tyson, is the alignment of the sun with the city's grid. May 29 will be a half sun alignment, which means the sun will not line up perfectly with the city's street grid. May 30 will be a full sun alignment and it's likely your Instagram, Twitter and Facebook feeds will be flooded with photos of the setting sun.

"For Manhattan, a place where evening matters more than morning, that special day comes twice a year, 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," Tyson said in his description of Manhattanhenge for the American Museum of Natural History. Tyson likens Manhattanhenge to Stonehenge as sunrise aligns with these ancient stones during the summer solstice.

There's no special equipment necessary to view Manhattanhenge 2015, but you may need to have some patience and it could get crowded in some of the more popular places in the city. Tyson recommends heading to the eastern part of NYC with New Jersey still visible when looking west. Popular streets include 14th, 23rd, 34th and 42nd, but you can view the setting sun from other streets. While the Empire State building, Chrysler building and Times Square will make for a great photo opportunity, these locations will also be among the most crowded in the city.

Metro New York has a good map of viewing spots for Manhattanhenge. Ideal avenues include 6th, 5th, Broadway and Madison -- which means you could wait for a burger at the recently reopened Madison Square Park Shake Shack before you catch the setting sun.

It's recommended that you find your Manhattanhenge location 30 minutes before sunset, which takes place at 8:12 p.m. EDT on May 29 and May 30. If you can't catch the event this weekend, you'll have another opportunity on July 12 and July 13. The half sun alignment takes place on July 13 and the full sun alignment occurs July 12.