'Edmontonhenge' image named NASA photo of the day
An Edmonton astronomy buff is feeling starry-eyed after earning a place of honour on the NASA website.
Luca Vanzella's photograph of Jasper Avenue in downtown Edmonton was featured Thursday as the Astronomy Picture of the Day on the space agency's page.
The sunny shot was a rare departure for the photographer who normally spends long nights pointing his camera at the white glowing orb of the moon.
"When I found out I had been chosen, I thought, 'Oh great,' said Vanzella, a member of the Edmonton branch of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
"It's an honour to be selected by these guys."
NASA describes the image as a "daring snapshot" and praises the photographer for catching the Stonehenge-like alignment of the sun on the streets during the Sept. 18th sunset.
"The setting sun illuminated on both sides of the steep brick and steel canyon otherwise known as Jasper Avenue in downtown Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, planet Earth."
The picture captured a rare celestial event in the city. The stars, literally, had to align for the shot.
Edmonton streets and avenues are laid out in a grid, almost perfectly oriented along the cardinal directions — streets run north-south, while avenues run east-west.
That alignment of the downtown skyline means twice a year, close to the equinox, the setting sun aligns precisely with the Edmonton road grid, creating a stunning glow which illuminates Jasper Avenue.
It's similar to what is seen at Stonehenge. The prehistoric ruins in Wiltshire, England are aligned in such a way that the massive monoliths align perfectly with the setting sun on the summer solstice. Vanzella says he was inspired to capture the Jasper Avenue image after an American astrophysicist captured a stunning shot of a similar phenomenon on the streets of New York City.
"I've been trying to do this picture for a number of years. I've been thinking about it ever since Neil deGrasse Tyson posted his 'Manhattanhenge' version back in 2001," Vanzella said. "This past weekend was a chance to grab it.
"That photo is looking down one of the canyons of the streets of Manhattan. Canyons of steel and concrete buildings.
"And that photograph has inspired a lot of people to gather on the streets, two particular days of the year, to watch the setting sun down those long streets."
