Torontohenge is the name given for the phenomenon that occurs when the sun rises or sets in line with Toronto's major east-west streets downtown, giving photographers a great opportunity to capture the sun as its top edge grazes the horizon between the canyon walls of buildings on either side of the street.
Photo: By Sevtibidou (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Although Torontohenge technically falls on the dates given below for 2017, great photos can be taken for about a week
before the August and October dates and a week
after the February and April dates as the sun hovers directly above the street. Not great for driving, but quite a sight just the same.
Best Photo Ops in August
In August, the best photo ops will occur
before the 23rd. For example, on the 22nd the sun will break loose from the horizon at about 6:33 AM and sit fully above the street.
Similarly, the rising sun will cross the street and be fully perched above it at about 6:35 AM on the 21st, 6:37 AM on the 20th, 6:38 AM on the 19th, etc.
On August 16th, a full week before Torontohenge, the sun will cross the street at about 6:43 AM at a height of about 2.5 degrees above the horizon (i.e. about the width of your thumb at arm’s length).
Tomorrow morning, August 13th, the sun will cross at about 6:47 AM at a height of about 3.8 degrees.
In a nutshell, there will be many opportunities for great photos between now and the official Torontohenge date of August 23rd.
The Torontohenge dates for 2017 are:
|
Sunrise |
Sunset |
| Feb 15 |
|
5:48 PM |
| Apr 19 |
6:28 AM |
|
| Aug 23 |
6:31 AM |
|
| Oct 25 |
|
6:18 PM |
Cheers, Ralph
