Fort Lauderdale, Fla. ? Stargazers who cast their eyes skyward Thursday 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.

According to 6News Meteorologist Ed Bloodsworth, Thursday night and early Friday morning will be perfect for watching the meteor shower. A few meteors will be visible before midnight, but the bulk of the event will happen in Kansas skies between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. where you may be able to see 60-100 meteors per hour.

Tips for watching the meteor shower:

• Try to watch from an area away from city lights
• Activity will begin in the northeast sky and then spread out. As the Perseus Constellation rises higher in the sky, the volume of meteors will increase.
• Bring a blanket or reclining lawn chair
• Arrive 15 minutes before you plan to watch so your eyes can adjust to the dark
• Bring lots of bug spray
• Don’t bring a telescope or binoculars. “The best way to view this is with the eye alone,” Pearlstein said.

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.