MIT Building 7 entrance, 77 Mass Ave.
Looking toward the sunset from 77 Mass Ave.
Building 7 lobby.
Sunset through the 77 Mass Ave. window.
The sun shining down the Infinite Corridor.
Slice of MIT article from 1/27/2012
Boston Globe article from 11/12/2011 As PDF
Slice of MIT article from 6/30/2011
A short video from MIT Multimedia
The Sky & Telescope web article of January 27, 2011 As PDF
Full Sky & Tel article from November 2003 (PDF)
When I first started researching MIT Henge, I was frustrated by having to search for the information in different places. So I decided to centralize everything that I found in one place, this web page. After building the page in 2007, I realized that I didn't have any pictures of the outside of the building or of the horizon where the sun was setting. I have tried to add those pictures now, in January of 2011.
Twice a year, the sun aligns with the Infinite Corridor at MIT at sunset. Since the orientation of MIT does not line up with the winter or summer solstice, there are two dates during the year that this happens, around January 30 and November 11. By coincidence, these dates are near the Cross Quarter days of Samhain and Imbolc (Groundhog Day). As a side note, for Boston, Groundhog Day is the first day on which the sun has not set by 5:00 PM, so it is still daytime at the end of the work day.
The best technical details are here: This paper by Alan Eliasen
Other information is here:
The MIT Planning Office web page, updated for 2012
The complete prediction table by Ken Olum
Stuart Goldmans 2003 article from Sky & Telescope (pdf)
A November 2005 email from Alan Eliasen
Wikipedia article about the Infinite Corridor
At 16:20:10 PM on 11/11/07 xephem gives the following values using the coordinates 42:22:01, 71:06:22, elevation 6.1 meters, temp 10.0 C, pressure 1010 mB.
RA 15:06:09.27, Dec -17:28:11.0, Az 245:44:33, Alt 0:41:09, rise 06:29, set 16:27
> Dick, > > How about creating a charter for the MITHenge Society? Here's a draft > to spur you on: > > > The MITHenge Society (MITHS) is dedicated to the betterment of > mankind through a deeper understanding of the MITHenge phenomenon. > > Documentation > - Measure the azimuth of the Infinite corridor > - Measure the elevation to the horizon > > Theoretical > - Examine the effect of atmospheric refraction > > Publication > - Videos of sun moving by > - Web page to contain above > - Real-time video of the next event on the Web > > Preservation > - Work with MIT and the City of Cambridge to maintain a clear view of > the horizon > > Social > - Examine the causes that lead technically minded persons to find > this phenomenon fascinating > >