You may recall that six months ago I posted a picture of Chapman Avenue at sunset. Chapman is a major thoroughfare around these parts that runs due west for much of its length, and there’s a nice hill at one end that allows for good picture taking. I was there at the spring equinox to try and get a picture of the sun setting directly over the street. Sort of a suburban version of Manhattanhenge.

As it happens, I got there a few days too late and the sunset was already too far north of west to get what I wanted. However, I marked my calendar for the autumn equinox and figured I’d try again. This time I got there a bit early, and circumstances conspired to prevent me from going back. So once again the sunset is a little off center.

However, there was less haze this time around and I discovered that in the far distance is not just the Pacific Ocean, but the hills of the Palos Verdes peninsula. So even if I timed it perfectly, I’d never get the sun precisely over the street just as it dipped below the horizon. My quest was a fruitless one all along.

But there are other streets. Perhaps I’ll try one of them next spring.

September 21, 2019 — Orange, California

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