The Perseids meteor shower will have eyes on the sky for the next few nights.

Over the next few days Earth is passing through the orbit of the comets, meaning it's time for the annual celestial light show.

Dr. Jeroen Stil, astrophysicist with the University of Calgary, says meteors are almost like dust.

"Meteors are really little grains, just sand grains or pea sized rocky grains that are scooped up by the Earth, so they come from space," Stil says. "They're actually left behind by comets left behind in 1992."

He says these grains get scooped up and burn high up in the atmosphere at about 80 kilometers above Earth.

Stil says this year is a great opportunity to watch the meteor shower.

"This year is special because we're lucky the moon is so close to a new moon so we don't have the bright moonlight washing out the fainter meteors, so it's an excellent time to watch."

Stil says on a dark night, 50 or more meteors per hour can be seen from northerly latitudes, and from southerly latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere only 1/3 as many meteors would be experienced.

The Rothney Astrophysical Observatory in Priddis is holding Milky Way Nights to view and learn about the meteor shower.

The event will take place on Aug. 13, 14, and 15 from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.