ðə fɪnˈɑːmɪnən bˌʌt nˌɑːt ðə tˈɜːm "mˈænhɐtˌænhɛndʒ"wʌz dᵻskɹˈaɪbd baɪ nˈiːl də ɡɹˈæs tˈaɪsən, ɐn ˌæstɹəfˈɪzɪsˌɪst æt ðɪ ɐmˈɛɹɪkən mjuːzˈiəm ʌv nˈætʃɚɹəl hˈɪstɚɹi ænd ɐ nˈeɪɾɪv nˈuː jˈɔːɹkɚɹ ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti sˈɛvən ɪnðə mˌæɡɐzˈiːn nˈætʃɚɹəl hˈɪstɚɹi.
The phenomenon (but not the term "Manhattanhenge") was described by Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History and a native New Yorker in 1997 in the magazine Natural History.