Catching that Cone of Light - False Dusk - Right About Now in Washington, Oregon

Published 03/07/25 at 7:45 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Bandon, Oregon) – It's that time of year again. And if you think that refers to spring and more sunlight: nope, not this time. (Zolt LeVay Photography - False Dawn in Arizona, bumping into the Milky Way)

Right about now and especially on or nearer to the spring equinox, the western skies just after dusk may show off a weird and faint cone of light. Or it's a pillar of light, depending on how you think of it. They call it the False Dusk in spring, more generally known as the Zodiacal Light (in fall it's the False Dawn). Showing up at blue hour, this is the best time to photograph on the Oregon coast or Washington coast anyway, using long exposures. Remarkable colors show up you can't see with the human eye. Yet you may catch something else that is literally out of this world.

No, the Zodiacal Light is not a kind of atmospheric reflection or refraction, like the green flash at sunset or a sun pillar. This one, according to scientists, originates in our solar system and may well be dust particles kicked up from Mars. More on this in a bit.

So how to see it? Luckily, for the Oregon and Washington it shows up in the west in spring, according to OMSI astronomy expert Jim Todd.

That's even luckier for the Oregon coast or Washington coast, as the horizon is the flat sea. However, all this is a big maybe. Currently, there aren't a lot of photographs of the phenomenon. Period.

First, NASA scientists say check a bit after sunset – often about a half hour after is when it kicks in.

The shot above comes from Arizona, courtesy David Lane

Of course, weather is a big factor, Todd told Oregon Coast Beach Connection.

“After sunset, looking towards the west, clearly visible from horizon to zenith,” he said. “ Highly recommend to get away from city. Camera works well.”

Todd has seen it with his own eyes a few times, he said, although all were in central or eastern Oregon where the skies are clearer. That means oceanic haze may be a problem. But with a long exposure, you could use the same techniques that help you photograph a comet. However, this is much larger than a comet and tail. so a best practice would be to bracket-shoot various parts of the sky first with a wider lens.

You'll need dark skies to spot it, which will be easy for coastal areas like Westport, Bandon, Seaside, Port Orford, Long Beach or Lincoln City. Those in Portland, Seattle, Salem or Eugene will need to get out into the country a ways.

Spring equinox is March 20 and many are touting the few days around that as your best bet. A bright moon, however, will kill it for you. It could be showing up now, however.

Just what is the False Dusk / Zodiacal Light? It may well be from something like a comet, but scientists are not yet sure. They do know it interferes with astronomical data when it shows up.

“Zodiacal light is caused by sunlight reflecting off tiny dust particles in the inner solar system - the disintegrated remains of comets and asteroids,” said NASA. “Attempts to measure how dark space is using telescopes like Hubble have been thwarted by this ambient glow.”

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Astronomers trying to peer around the glow have had to rely on NASA’s distant New Horizons spacecraft to observe the sky in the past.

“The faint background they measured is the equivalent of seeing a neighbor’s refrigerator light from a mile away,” NASA said.

NASA has been looking at considerable evidence this is created by dust particles from Mars and not from a comet. The spacecraft Juno has detected a lot of dust getting tossed up from Mars and into space, and that perodically matches where they've seen the debris field that creates the false dawn / dusk phenomenon.

Great coastal spots to look for this will be remote parts of the Long Beach Penninsula, Grayland Beach, Manzanita's Nehalem Spit, southern Pacific City, Cape Foulweather near Depoe Bay, the National Dunes Recreation Area between Florence and Reedsport, Cape Sebastian area, and the Samuel H. Boardman Corridor.

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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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