Blood Moon Eclipse and Other Stellar Action Above Oregon, Washington, Coastlines

Published 03/05/25 at 6:45 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Pacific City, Oregon) – A bevy of activity will be above Oregon, Washington and the coast in March with a lunar eclipse / blood moon, a change of season and some stunning stars. Those in Portland, Seattle, Yakima, Medford, Bandon, Eugene, Seaside and Yachats are all about to get an eyeful if you stay up at all. (Photo Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

It's no surprise that the term “loony” comes from the term “lunar” as it's about to get crazy on March 13 and 14. A lunar eclipse is going to become an intense shade of orange – the result of this total eclipse.

According to OMSI's astronomer Jim Todd, it starts at 10 p.m., with the colors hitting around midnight, and then tapering off until it ends at 1:47 a.m.

In fact, Portland has a whole event set up for it: Weather permitting, a free viewing of the eclipse will begin at 10:00 p.m. at OMSI South Lot / Bridge Lot. The Rose City Astronomers and OMSI will have telescopes set up for attendees to use. Todd will be giving informal talks about the lunar eclipse and the winter night sky.

Will the weather on the Oregon coast / Washington coast cooperate? Will you be able to see it from Portland, Eugene, Silverton, Madras, Roseburg, etc? - Washington Coast Weather - Oregon Coast Weather  - Inland Oregon Weather

“The entire event starts with a partial beginning at 10:09 p.m. (March 13), maximum at 11:58 p.m. (March 13), and ending at 1:47 a.m. (March 14),” Todd said. “At maximum, the moon will be 42 degrees above the south-southeast horizon, perfect for viewing.”

The eclipse lasts six hours and three minutes, with the total effect and orange color going for 65 minutes.

“This total eclipse is central, meaning the moon’s disk passes through the axis of Earth’s umbral shadow,” Todd said. “The Moon does not have any light of its own, it shines because its surface reflects sunlight.”

When the moon is eclipsed like this, it's because the Earth moves between the moon and the sun and thus cuts off the sun – blocking it from shining on the moon. The red or orange comes because the dimmer light coming back to us is filtered through our atmosphere.

“The red color of an eclipsed Moon has prompted many people in recent years to refer to total lunar eclipses as Blood Moons,” Todd said. “Unlike their solar counterparts, total lunar eclipses are safe to view with the naked eye.”

The region just crossed meteorological spring on March 1, meaning that's how the weatherman views the month. However, actual spring doesn't come until March 20.

If you're at Washington or Oregon coast spots like Long Beach, Port Orford, Coos Bay or Seaside March 20, you should look up at 2:01 a.m. Not that you'll notice anything different, but at least to mark the actual change from winter to spring.

“The first day of spring is called 'the vernal equinox', vernal meaning 'green', and equinox meaning 'equal night', which simply means that on the equinox the hours of daylight are nearly equal to the hours of the night,” Todd said.

Oregon Coast Hotels for this event - South Coast Hotels - Oregon Coast Vacation Rentals - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours

Above the Oregon coast and Washington coast, March still features some mighty bright planet action. Jupiter sticks around and keeps shining brightly from high in the sky. The big red glow of Mars follows it up the sky, a ways behind Jupiter.

For the first half of the month, Venus remains extremely bright in the west, just after sunset. By the middle of the month it's dropped below view and then starts appearing in the pre-dawn hours. Mercury gets a little brighter and follows the same path as Venus.

By the second half of the month, Venus is in the east just before dawn.

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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