Last week, we told you to keep an eye out for the Perseid meteor shower. Tonight and tomorrow will be the best nights for this year’s show, as up to 50-80 meteors an hour will reach Earth and burn up into fireballs in the atmosphere. You may see them as early as dusk — but for the real show, stay up late and watch until the early morning on both nights.

Photo by philliefan99. Venus and the crescent Moon in January 2007. Not exactly what you’ll see before dawn this week, but similar. As we mentioned last week, Jupiter reached opposition last Friday. At this point, the Sun and Jupiter are on opposite sides of the Earth (like when the Moon is full), making it the brightest it ever appears in the sky. Since it’s only a couple days off, it should still be a…

Missed last weekend’s shiny appearance of the International Space Station in the nighttime sky? No worries — there’s plenty more to tilt your head northward for in the next couple of weeks: namely, planets! The Post has the rundown, beginning with Jupiter — which will really steal the show, hopping around the celestial canvas all month. D.C. residents can watch the largest planet in the Solar System ascend the eastern sky on the 14th, and…

Reader Mike Eisenhut sent us this photo yesterday (knowing this writer’s predilection for space stuff) of Jupiter and Venus glowing brightly behind the Washington Monument. That’s Venus just to the left, about halfway up the Monument, and Jupiter to its upper left. But this is more than just a neat photo for space nerds. While you’re taking a break from your raucous family gatherings this weekend, we encourage you to look up to the sky…