diff --git a/src/pydata_sphinx_theme/assets/scripts/pydata-sphinx-theme.js b/src/pydata_sphinx_theme/assets/scripts/pydata-sphinx-theme.js
index 58c5affb7..2b46d9c82 100644
--- a/src/pydata_sphinx_theme/assets/scripts/pydata-sphinx-theme.js
+++ b/src/pydata_sphinx_theme/assets/scripts/pydata-sphinx-theme.js
@@ -1013,20 +1013,79 @@ function setupArticleTocSyncing() {
     return;
   }
 
-  // When the website visitor clicks a link in the TOC, we want that link to be
-  // highlighted/activated, NOT whichever TOC link the intersection observer
-  // callback would otherwise highlight, so we turn off the observer and turn it
-  // back on later.
+  // Create a boolean variable that allows us to turn off the intersection
+  // observer (and then later back on). When the website visitor clicks an
+  // in-page link, we want that entry in the TOC to be highlighted/activated,
+  // NOT whichever TOC link the intersection observer callback would otherwise
+  // highlight.
   let disableObserver = false;
-  pageToc.addEventListener("click", (event) => {
+
+  function temporarilyDisableObserver(time) {
     disableObserver = true;
-    const clickedTocLink = tocLinks.find((el) => el.contains(event.target));
-    activate(clickedTocLink);
     setTimeout(() => {
-      // Give the page ample time to finish scrolling, then re-enable the
-      // intersection observer.
       disableObserver = false;
-    }, 1000);
+    }, time);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * If the provided URL hash fragment (beginning with "#") matches an entry in
+   * the page table of contents, highlight that entry and temporarily disable
+   * the intersection observer while the page scrolls to the corresponding
+   * heading.
+   */
+  function syncTocHash(hash) {
+    if (hash.length > 1) {
+      const matchingTocLink = tocLinks.find((tocLink) => tocLink.hash === hash);
+      if (matchingTocLink) {
+        // It's important to disable the intersection observer before
+        // highlighting the TOC link and its corresponding article heading. This
+        // is because the browser takes a little time to scroll to the article
+        // heading, and while scrolling, it could trigger intersection events
+        // that cause some other link in the table of contents to be
+        // highlighted.
+        temporarilyDisableObserver(1000);
+        activate(matchingTocLink);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  // On page load...
+  //
+  // When the page loads, sync the page's table of contents.
+  syncTocHash(window.location.hash);
+
+  // On navigation to another part of the page...
+  //
+  // When the user navigates to another part of the page, sync the page's table
+  // of contents.
+  window.addEventListener("hashchange", () => {
+    // By the time this event is fired, window.location.hash has already been
+    // updated with the new hash
+    syncTocHash(window.location.hash);
+  });
+
+  // On return to the same part of the page...
+  //
+  // The hashchange event will handle most cases where we need to sync the table
+  // of contents with a hash link click. But there is one edge case it doesn't
+  // handle, which is when the user clicks an internal page link whose hash is
+  // already in the browser address bar. For example, the user loads the page at
+  // #first-heading, scrolls to the bottom of the page, then clicks in the
+  // sidebar table of contents to go back up to the first heading in the
+  // article. In this case the "hashchange" event will not fire. Nonetheless, we
+  // want to guarantee that the TOC entry for the first heading gets
+  // highlighted. Note we cannot rely exclusively on the "click" event for all
+  // internal page navigations because it will not fire in the edge case where
+  // the user modifies the hash directly in the browser address bar.
+  window.addEventListener("click", (event) => {
+    const link = event.target.closest("a");
+    if (
+      link &&
+      link.hash === window.location.hash &&
+      link.origin === window.location.origin
+    ) {
+      syncTocHash(link.hash);
+    }
   });
 
   /**
@@ -1127,7 +1186,7 @@ function setupArticleTocSyncing() {
     }
 
     observer = new IntersectionObserver(callback, options);
-    headingsToTocLinks.keys().forEach((heading) => {
+    Array.from(headingsToTocLinks.keys()).forEach((heading) => {
       observer.observe(heading);
     });
   }