UPPER WEST SIDE — Hopefully, the clouds will make way for Manhattanhenge.
The arresting natural phenomenon that occurs when the sun sets in perfect alignment with the East-West axis of Manhattan's street grid will be back for Memorial Day, offering New Yorkers picture-perfect views from the borough's widest crosstown streets.
The forecast could put a damper on the night, but the sun is set to appear on the horizon as a semicircle peeking out between skyscrapers when it sets Monday night at 8:13 p.m., according to the American Museum of Natural History.
Tuesday night at 8:20 p.m., which is also on deck to be overcast, photographers can capture the brightly burning sphere in its entirety along the view corridor. The museum is also offering a Manhattanhenge event on Tuesday with astrophysicist Jackie Faherty at the Hayden Planetarium.
The museum recommends that spectators position themselves on 14th, 34th, 42nd, 57th or 79th streets at least a half-hour before the time of sunset to get the best views.
It was the director of AMNH's Hayden Planetarium, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who coined the term "Manhattanhenge" as a play on Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument where the sun aligns with stones to a similar effect on the morning of the summer solstice.
Those who miss the first round of Manhattanhenge this year will get a repeat showing on July 12 and 13.