The Nuits des Etoiles is the only time of year to see the shooting stars of the Perseids, with several events planned in Paris, and a viewpoint like no other – 210 metres up on the Tour Montparnasse (that we visited recently), open specially until 1am!

Here’s all the info…With Curiosity currently on Mars, interest for the cosmos has never been so high, and the Night of the Stars hopes to make the most of it.

At the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, everything is concentrated on the Saturday 11th August, but not just in the evening. There will be projections in the auditorium in the afternoon, then in the planetarium at 7pm (free, but booking advised), and more event later from 9pm onwards. All the details (in French) are here.

At the tour Montparnasse, you’ll be able to go up from 9pm until 1am (11.30pm on the Sunday) and be greeted by specialists from the French Association of Astronomers, attend a cycle of conferences and check out the photo exhibition about the hidden side of Mars. More info (in French) here.Other events are happening just outside the city limits (in nearby towns such as Saint-Ouen and Ivry-sur-Seine). All the details are on the official site and in the free iPhone app that you can get here.

The 22nd Night of the Stars runs from 10th-12th August 2012, with the most activity expected on the last night.

Official site: here

Interactive map of all events: here

Facebook: facebook.com/afastronomie

Free iPhone app: here

French speakers can peruse the press release below. Click the fullscreen bottom right to see more clearly, or simply click here.