Perseid meteor shower, planets, moon to grace the night sky.

Stargazers who cast their eyes skyward on Thursday the 12th of August ‘2010, should enjoy two-for-one celestial treats.

A heavenly threesome will appear after dusk, when a trio of planets glides above a fragile crescent moon. Later, the fabled Perseid meteor shower will adorn the night with up to 50 shooting stars an hour.

“This is the astronomy night of the summer,” said Arnold Pearlstein, who writes an astronomy column for the Sun Sentinel and teaches science for Miami-Dade schools. “The Perseid is one of the top showers of the year.”

The show begins at twilight, with the glow of the setting sun still on the horizon. Three planets — Mars, Venus and Saturn — will gather in the west near a lopsided crescent moon like the discombobulated components of a celestial smiley face.

“This occurs every few years,” Pearlstein said. “It just happens to be very convenient, and with the meteor shower, that’s just excellent timing.”

Venus, the brightest, will shimmer blue-white. Ringed Saturn will be burnished pale gold. Mars, the dimmest, will glower in its traditional red. The ivory waxing moon, followed by the planets, soon will drop below the horizon, setting a darkened stage for the firmament’s second act.

Within hours, the Perseid shower will begin to emit brilliant sparklers from its namesake constellation Perseus in the northeast sky. Unlike years past, the meteors will arrive early enough for most folks to see.

“They’ll start popping up at 10:30 or 11,” said Jane Houston Jones, with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “You won’t have to wait until 3 in the morning; you’ll see plenty of them. To me, it’s the most people-friendly of meteor showers.”

The meteors are icy dust fragments shed by the comet Swift-Tuttle as it passes near the sun. The tiny particles, speeding at a dizzying 38 miles per second, sizzle in the earth’s atmosphere, some leaving trails that can last for seconds.

Don’t flinch; few ever make it to earth. “They almost completely burn up,” Jones said. “It’s not like you need protection.”

Nor do you need a telescope or binoculars. “The best way to view this is with the eye alone,” Pearlstein said. And a lawn lounge chair to avoid craning your neck.

As the Perseus Constellation rises higher in the sky, the volume of meteors will increase.

“The greatest numbers are going to be seen by those away from city lights, but even in the city you’re going to see meteors,” Pearlstein said. “The beach is an excellent place to go.”