NASA will live stream the annual Perseid meteor shower that will peak on Aug. 11-13, where the sky will be filled with streaks of light commonly known as shooting stars.

The shower is called Perseids because they appear to come from the sky in the constellation of Perseus. The Perseids shower is visible starting from mid-July each year, with the peak in activity being between Aug. 9 and 14 depending on the location of the stream. Only a crescent moon is expected over this weekend, therefore decreasing the moonshine and allowing the meteors to become more visible to the naked eye.

The Perseid meteor shower occurs as the earth orbits through the debris of the Swift-Tuttle comet.

NASA will broadcast footage from its Slooh Space Camera, a robotic camera that can be accessed online. The Agency reportedly said viewers can expect to see as many as 100 meteors per hour at the peak of the shower, including "many fireballs visible in the night sky (!!!)." The webcast will also feature NASA's resident meteor experts, Bill Cooke, Danielle Moser, and Rhiannon Blaauw, answering questions about the shower.

It is also possible to listen to the meteors via mobile devices through the Air Force Space Surveillance Radar. You can watch a free live stream of the annual Perseid meteor shower online via the UStream video.

The shower can be seen anywhere across the United States, even in major cities where lights would typically make it hard to see such a sight, around midnight and the pre-dawn hours. No special equipment is necessary and the meteor shower will be visible to the naked eye.

Watch the video below to see highlights from a previous Perseid meteor shower.