Super Moon, Blue Moon, Micro Moon and Meteor Shower - All Above Oregon / Washington Coast

Published 04/29/26 at 12:55 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Reedsport, Oregon) – May will deliver some unusual sky activity – with one definitely affecting the Oregon and Washington coastlines in very real ways. (Above: the moon and Manzanita - Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

Also curious: one will interfere with the other. There are two full moons in May, making the second a blue moon as well a Super New Moon. Plus, much of this coincides with the spectacular Eta Aquariid meteor showers. It's a month of lunar extremes, with tidal forces affected and some nice streaks above us.

OMSI astronomy expert Jim Todd said the Super New Moon will be arriving mid-month.

Todd said the Old Farmer’s Almanac notes that the Flower Moon name comes from the seasonal bloom of wildflowers, a tradition rooted in Algonquin and Ojibwe observations of the natural calendar. Look for a smaller-than-usual moon in areas like Seattle, Portland, Ashland, Bandon or Spokane – though it'll be difficult to tell.

“This 2026 Flower Moon is actually a micro moon, occurring near an apogee or the Moon's farthest point from Earth. As a result, it will appear slightly smaller and dimmer than an average full moon,” he told Oregon Coast Beach Connection.

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The New Moon on May 16 will not be visible, but it occurs at perigee, the point in the Moon’s orbit roughly 31,000 miles closer to Earth than apogee. A New Moon at perigee is known as a Super New Moon, and although it cannot be seen, the alignment strengthens the Moon’s gravitational pull. Coastal areas in Oregon and Washington often experience a kind of king tides, or perigean spring tides, following these events.

This also brings the lowest tides of the year to Washington's coast and Oregon's shorelines.

“ Later in the month, a second full Moon, a Blue Moon will make an appearance,” Todd said. “We see a blue moon about once every 3 years on average. There are several different meanings for the term ‘Blue Moon' which has been in use for nearly 400 years, but during that time its meaning has shifted around a lot.”

The next Blue Moon will occur on December 31, 2028, so savor this one.

Then there's the meteor showers, which could add some real dazzle to areas like Reedsport, Port Orford, Salem or Westport.

According to the American Meteor Society (AMS), the Eta Aquariid meteor shower will reach its best viewing window before dawn on May 5, 2026, listing the predicted peak at 3:51 UTC that morning (which ends up too early for the Pacific time zone and those of us in Oregon and Washington. However, the shower's activity typically spans several days, meaning elevated meteor counts are also likely before and after the peak. The pre-dawn hours of May 4 and May 6 should offer good viewing opps as well.

SIDE NOTE: Recently, NOAA and NASA caught a major (but rather mysterious) comet swinging by Earth on one of their satellites. This still shot shows Comet C/2025 R3 (Pan-STARRS) whizzing past on the GOES East (GOES-19) satellite.

The Eta Aquariids are actually active from April 15 through May 27 as Earth moves through the debris stream of Comet Halley. Under ideal dark-sky conditions, the shower can produce an hourly rate of about 60 meteors.

See Washington Coast Weather - See Oregon Coast Weather -- See weather for Inland Oregon

You'll have to wait for the moon to get out of the way, being in a waning gibbous state. The moon will remain above the horizon past sunrise, so observers may need to block its glare to improve visibility.

The shower's radiant rises in the early-morning hours and climbs higher toward dawn, making the hours just before sunrise the most favorable time to watch.

Meanwhile, it is still the "season of satellites," with some getting incredibly bright this season. Now Begins the 'Season of Satellites' Above Oregon, Washington: Summer's Surreal Show - Not even counting meteors, these can create wild colors and streaks

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