How to watch Perseid Meteor Shower

The night sky this week will exhibit some spectacular views as three planets align and the annual Perseid meteor shower occurs.

The annual meteor shower is a shooting star fest that should be easiest to see in the west-northwest sky between Wednesday and Friday nights, according to SPACE.com .

Debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle causes the Perseid meteor shower, according to NASA . The space agency said that the huge comet swings through the inner solar system every 133 years and leaves behind a trail of dust and gravel. Flashes of light occur when Earth passes through the debris and specks of comet-stuff hit the atmosphere at 140,000 mph and disintegrate.

The meteors are called Perseids because they fly out of the constellation Perseus. Earth spends weeks inside the massive debris zone and passes through the heart of the debris trail between Wednesday and Friday.

NASA stated that the best time to look for the meteors is during the darkest hours before dawn on Friday morning. Most observers should see dozens of Perseids per hour.

For the best view, observers should find a dark spot, well away from street lights, with a good view of the sky, Ronnie Hawes, president of the Cape Fear Astronomical Society in Wilmington, N.C., told the Star-News .

The show continues at sundown Thursday when Venus, Saturn, Mars and the crescent Moon appear close together in the western twilight. You won't need a telescope to see the alignment, NASA reported.

The planets should be visible until around 10 p.m.

"These three planets are destined to crowd into a relatively small area of the sky, making for a very distinctive and eye-catching formation that is sure to thrill most sky watchers," says Joe Rao, a columnist for SPACE.com .

"So while Venus should be more than bright enough to see with the unaided eye in the fading twilight glow, Saturn and Mars will likely be a bit more difficult," Rao says. "Indeed, although Saturn and Mars are of first magnitude, they appear only about 1/150th as bright as Venus!"