If you need a wish granted, you may be in luck.
The Orionids meteor shower will light up Long Island skies this week beginning Tuesday night after 10 p.m., Vanderbilt Planetarium director Dave Bush said.
Due to the new moon, night skies will appear “moonless,” allowing for a stellar viewing opportunity.
“We’re not competing with any light pollution from the moon,” Bush said.
Shooting stars will be seen toward the south or close to the Orion’s Belt constellation, hence its name Orionids.
“Every meteor shower’s name is dependent upon the constellation from which it originates,” Bush said.
Meteor showers are cyclical or occur every year on the same date, as they are produced by comets that have previously passed in orbit around the Sun.
The Orionids shower began on Oct. 2 and will last until Nov. 7, according to the International Meteor Organization website.
While the peak viewing times will be Tuesday night and Wednesday night, Bush said that viewers from all around the world can observe the shower through Friday night.
National Weather Service meteorologist Matthew Wunsch said skies will be overcast Tuesday with possible rainfall after midnight Wednesday.
“Not great for viewing the night sky,” he said. “Tomorrow night would definitely be better.”
Bush said Long Islanders hoping to catch a shooting star should travel to a location, preferably south, with a wider field of view and minimal buildings, trees, or light pollution like Robert Moses State Park or Sunken Meadow State Park.
Viewers likely won’t see meteors before 10 p.m. each night and can expect the shower to last until dawn.
Be sure to bring a comfortable lounge or gravity chair or blankets, dress warmly, and plan to spend at least 45 minutes to an hour looking at the sky, he said.
“Patience is key,” Bush said. “But patience will pay off.”
Bush said viewers can expect about 15 to 20 meteors, or shooting stars, per hour, which can bounce from one side of the sky to the other.
“Think of like a stone skipping along the top of a pond of water,” he said.
The Orionids travel faster than the average meteor shower at 150 miles per hour. The meteors, which consist of magnesium, will appear as bright bulbs of white — but don’t be surprised if you see flashes of green or meteor explosions.
When magnesium interacts with diatomic carbon in the upper atmosphere, a meteor can turn green and even blow up into smaller particles.
“We would see it as a spectacular firework in the sky with a tail behind it,” Bush said. “This is a show that’s put on by nature itself, and there’s no charge.”
Maureen Mullarkey is a breaking news reporter at Newsday. She previously worked as a reporter for Patch, where she covered a range of Long Island stories on topics such as the Diocese of Rockville Centre bankruptcy and the Babylon School District abuse scandals.