Paris Henge: When the Sun Sets in the Arc de Triomphe

It is one of those Paris summer evenings when suddenly an astonishing number of people are looking in the same direction. On the Champs Élysées, smartphones point west, photographers set up their tripods, and curious tourists stop to watch. Some have already been waiting for an hour. Others wonder what is actually going on. The sun provides the answer. On a few days in early August, Paris offers a spectacle that lasts only a few minutes: the setting sun aligns almost perfectly with the axis of the Champs Élysées and ...