“Chicagohenge” during the fall 2020 equinox. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

There haven’t been many events to miss out on in the past year, but if last fall’s “Chicagohenge” phenomenon passed you by, here’s your chance at redemption.

Chicagohenge — an effect produced when the sun rises due east and sets due west  — happens twice a year, coinciding with the spring and fall equinox. The spring equinox, when the sun is directly over the equator, occurs at 4:37 a.m. Saturday.

Because Chicago is laid out in a grid, the city’s east-west streets perfectly frame the equinox sunrise and sunset, an image photographers of all stripes are keen to capture.

According to the Adler Planetarium, the best time to view Chicagohenge is during sunrise or sunset (roughly slightly before 7 a.m. or slightly after 7 p.m.) Saturday through Tuesday. Any east-west street will do, but avenues lined with tall buildings will create more dramatic results.

But don’t dally. Another quirk of the equinox is that it sees the fastest sunsets of the year, in terms of the amount of time it takes for the orb to sink below the horizon. Chicagohenge will last for just a couple of minutes in the evening.

Don’t worry if you miss it. There’s always September.

Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 |  [email protected]