Best Place to See the Perseid Meteor Shower This Weekend

A stargazer at heart? This year, the Perseid meteor shower will be at its peak for viewing the evening of Aug. 11 through early morning Aug. 12. 

With clear skies in the forecast -- for now, anyway -- the meteor shower's annual summertime appearance will last through the weekend.

To celebrate, the St. Louis Science Center is providing what it's dubbed a "cheap date night" for an evening of viewing the stars, sci-fi film "When Worlds Collide," and learning about the Greek mythology origins of the Perseids.

While the Science Center will have a cash bar (and you have to be 21 or older to attend the event for $10 per person), the meteor shower presentation will only be a simulation.

To view it in person, you may want to get out of the city for a better view of the night sky. City lights will interfere with the atmosphere and prevent a clearer look at space.

The Astronomical Society of Eastern Missouri will set up at Broemmelsiek Park at 10 p.m. Aug. 11. The expected peak will be around the early morning hours of Sunday Aug. 12. 

This is typically the best meteor shower of the year, according to the ASEM website. 

NASA will have a live stream of the Perseids the evening of Aug. 11 as well as an online chat session with meteor shower experts.