The Perseid meteor shower will peak Saturday night into Sunday morning and there are opportunities to watch and learn about the phenomenon around the region.

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Perseid is often considered the best meteor shower of the year “due to its high rates and pleasant late-summer temperatures.”

Conditions may be right this year in Northwestern Pennsylvania to make the most of the annual celestial show. The moon will be in a waning crescent phase, minimizing additional light from that quarter. Meanwhile, while the forecast calls for rain and clouds during the day Saturday, skies are predicted to clear late in the day leading to only partly cloudy skies Saturday night.

“The best thing you can do to maximize the number of meteors you’ll see is to get as far away from urban light pollution as possible and find a location with a clear, unclouded view of the night sky,” according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “Once you get to your viewing location, search for the darkest patch of sky you can find, as meteors can appear anywhere overhead. The meteors will always travel in a path away from the constellation for which the shower is named. This apparent point of origin is called the ‘radiant.’ ”

In the case of the Perseid shower, the radiant is the constellation Perseus.

The Society for Popular Astronomy recommends looking away from the moon and absolutely not looking at your cellphone.

“People in the U.S. can reasonably expect to see around 40 Perseids in the hour just before dawn on the peak nights. That’s about one every couple of minutes, which is not bad,” NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office leader Bill Cooke said, noting that figure assumes low-light environments.

Both Chapman State Park and Kinzua Bridge State Park are offering meteor watch parties.

For Chapman’s, the public is invited to meet at the beach area at 9 p.m. Saturday for an informational session and an observation party that includes a laser guided constellation tour and use of park telescopes. The public is asked to bring a blanket or chair to sit on. While the event is free, participants are asked to register.through the park’s website.

Kinzua Bridge’s event is set to take place early Sunday morning. Participants are asked to meet on the “bridge” at 4 a.m. No fee or registration is required, but the park asks that anyone interested bring a chair or blanket to sit on. The park asks that anyone using a flashlight utilize one with a red lens or put red cellophane over the lens to help keep everyone’s eyes adjusted to the dark.

Both events are weather dependent.