Above Oregon, Washington, Coastlines Right Now: Perseid, Capricornid Meteor Showers

Published 07/18/25 at 7:35 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Newport, Oregon) – Stargazing around the Pacific Northwest has been...well...awesome sauce, as of late. Clear nights around inland Oregon and Washington are yielding lofty bundles of pretty, sparkling sights, especially tons of satellites wandering up and down the skyline. (Photo NASA)

Now, two meteor showers join the chat and the results are amazing: the Perseids just started and the Alpha Capricornids are approaching maximum. Around Oregon and Washington, the coast hasn't always been clear at night – but when it does you'd better be ready for a show.

The Alpha Capricornids are bouncing around above us now through August 15 with its peak on July 29 and 30, 2025. The moon will be about 27% full.

They are not very strong and rarely shoot out more than five glowing balls per hour. However, what is notable about this shower is the number of bright fireballs produced during its run.

Then there's the Perseids. They are the top dog, if this were any kind of celestial contest. These can produce some 50 to 75 shooting stars per hour at their peak, at least in rural areas where visibility is – well – stellar. Active from July 14 to September 1, they typically reach peak intensity on August 12 or 13, depending on the year.

Under ideal conditions in rural areas, observers could see up to 100 streaks per hour.

Star movement can look especially wondrous from Manzanita's Neahkahnie overlooks (Oregon Coast Beach Connection).

“Made of tiny space debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle, the Perseids are named after the constellation Perseus,” said Jim Todd of Portland's OMSI. “The Perseids are widely sought after by astronomers and stargazers because most years at its peak, one can see 60 to 100 meteors in an hour from a dark place.”

If you're heading to the Oregon coastline or Washington coast and the weather is clear, there are good chances you're going to get an eyeful. Really, that's true of the entire Pacific Northwest: from Spokane and Seattle to Westport, and from Pendleton to Cannon Beach, Forest Grove, Medford and Roseburg.

Ecola State Park's Indian Beach - Cannon Beach (Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

However, for the Perseids 2025 event, visibility will be significantly impacted: a waning gibbous moon will dominate the sky during peak nights, washing out the fainter meteors. As a result, skywatchers may see up to 75% fewer meteors than usual, with only the brightest streaks piercing through the moonlight.

Still, catching sight of this current batch of meteor showers has been surprisingly good – even in Portland.

Satellite above Portland (Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

Even with the moon fairly bright in recent nights, Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff have spotted at least a couple of shooting stars per viewing session, which has been 10 to 20 minutes outdoors.

For satellites, it's not uncommon lately to see them “flashing” - or increasing and decreasing in glow. There have been several sightings of this per night, sometimes two or three within a few minutes of each other. Above Oregon Skies: Tons of Satellites, Some Burning / Blinking, Random Meteors

Gleneden Beach (Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

This happens because as some satellites catch the glinting of the sun - if they are either tumbling or rotating - this causes the reflection to change in intensity. The flashing effect or glow increase / decrease will happen at intervals of a couple to several seconds. It's fascinating to watch.

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