Manhattanhenge 2012: A Half Sun On May 29th, A Full Sun On The 30th (VIDEO)

It's that time of year again, New York. It's Manhattanhenge!

That's right, on Tuesday May 29th, a half sun will align itself with the city's 201-year-old grid at 8:17 PM, creating a wonderful view of the sunset along every street.

The real spectacle, of course, will actually take place Wednesday night, when a full sun will nestle itself between skyscrapers at 8:16 PM.

So ready your cameras, New York. A glance outside confirms sunny, clear skies for the first installment of the biennial phenomenon.

Neil Degrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium and a longtime champion of the world's "greatest urban phenomenon" , has some good advice:

For best effect, position yourself as far east in Manhattan as possible. But ensure that when you look west across the avenues you can still see New Jersey. Clear cross streets include 14th, 23rd, 34th. 42nd, 57th, and several streets adjacent to them. The Empire State building and the Chrysler building render 34th street and 42nd streets especially striking vistas.

For the uninitiated, this is why we're so excited: