Celestial Drama Ahead: Orange Supermoon, Two Meteor Showers for Washington, Oregon

Published 10/03/25 at 7:45 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Newport, Oregon) – The skies above the Pacific Northwest have been getting a bit of a treat unknown to us mortals down here. There was some amount of Northern Lights and a bit of meteor showers sparking above lately, although clear skies were lacking on the coastlines of Oregon and Washington – or those inland in Portland, Tacoma or Madras.

The celestial drama will continue, with two meteor showers peaking soon. In the midst of it, according to OMSI astronomy expert Jim Todd, there's a special full moon coming up that will be quite colorful.

Stargazers are in for a good shot of luminosity October 6, as the Super Harvest Moon rises over the eastern horizon just after 6:22 p.m. This year’s Harvest Moon - so named for its proximity to the autumn equinox - is also the first of four supermoons spanning late 2025 into early 2026, Todd told Oregon Coast Beach Connection.

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A supermoon occurs when the Moon reaches its closest point to Earth, or perigee, during its elliptical orbit. This makes the lunar disk appear up to 8% larger and 16% brighter than average. The remaining supermoons will follow on November 5, December 5, and January 3, 2026.

Harvest Moon above Waldport in 2014

“The orange color of a moon near the horizon is a true physical effect,” Todd told Oregon Coast Beach Connection. “When looking toward the horizon, we are actually looking through a greater thickness of Earth’s atmosphere than when looking directly overhead. The atmosphere scatters blue light (the reason the sky looks blue). The thickness of the atmosphere in the direction of a horizon scatters blue light most effectively, but it lets red light pass through.”

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It's not unlike the atmospheric phenomenon that creates the Green Flash at Sunset on Washington or Oregon beaches. Strange Weather Cousins on the Oregon Coast: Green Flash and the Novaya Zemlya

Todd said the this year’s moon will be especially striking.

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Adding to the spectacle, Saturn will be visible just to the right of the Moon, offering a bonus planetary pairing for skywatchers.

While the Moon’s apparent size near the horizon may seem unusually large, experts say it’s an optical illusion. Known as the “moon illusion,” this phenomenon tricks the brain into perceiving distant objects as larger than those overhead.

Then, according to NASA, get ready for some fireworks from space.

The Draconid meteor shower, active from October 6–10, peaks around October 8. It comes from debris left by comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner.

“These meteors originate from nearby the head of the constellation Draco the dragon in the northern sky and the shower can produce up to 10 meteors per hour,” NASA said.

Later in the month, the Orionid meteor shower promises a more robust display. Peaking October 21, the Orionids are spawned from Halley’s Comet. You could catch up to 20 meteors per hour. The best viewing window is between midnight and 2 a.m., when skies are darkest and the Moon less intrusive.

For those seeking deeper insights into the Harvest Moon and other interstellar events, OMSI’s Kendall Planetarium offers daily presentations of Starry Night Live! Visit OMSI.edu for showtimes and ticket information.

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