This week, stargazers can view the annual Perseid meteor shower and see a very young crescent moon join Venus, Mars and Saturn in the west-southwestern sky just after sunset.

On Thursday evening, the thin crescent will sit about 7 degrees below dazzling bright Venus and by Friday evening, the crescent will have moved to about 8 degrees to the left of Venus.

Binoculars will reveal that Mars is about 3 degrees above and to the left of Venus and that Saturn is about 5 degrees to the right of Earth's sister planet.

Among the many nights of the Perseid meteor shower, there is always one night that is best. This year, peak activity will occur in the northeastern sky from about 10 p.m. Thursday until dawn on Friday. Maximum activity with exceptional skies during the Perseids is normally about 50 or 60 meteors per hour. The thin crescent moon will be out of the way early, setting the stage for a potentially spectacular show.

Doug Oster writes a blog, "Growing With Doug," exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.