Showered By The Stars
One of the years most spectacular celestial events is here! The Perseids meteor shower is active July 17th-August 24th with the peak landing around the 12th of August. This meteor shower is known for producing dozens of meteors an hour under dark skies, with bright fireballs occasionally streaking across the night sky.
This beautiful event is caused by earth passing through debris of space particles . I suppose one of the reasons I look forward to this every year could be credited to my first Perseids experience. It wasn't something I normally had on my calendar but I remember going to dinner and making sure I didn’t stay out too late because I did want to check it out and see if it was worth the hype. We ate dinner at the Spanish Head in Lincoln City and if you’ve ever been there, the view alone is probably one of the best along the Oregon Coast. As I gazed out of the big bay windows, I watched the fog roll in so thick, it looked like fresh whipped cream.
“That was it!” Or so i thought…
On my drive home I noticed patches of dark blue sky splattered with light speckles. The more I drove, the clearer it got and before I knew it I was already in amazement. I pulled the car over just to take a look. It was after I got out of my car and gazed up, it was imperative to get home immediately and grab a blanket and watch the show. Finally, I made it! I walked around the back and down the dock with a pillow and blanket. As I made my way down the ramp, I became more level with the surface of the still river. It was like a mirror. Half sky, half water. But you almost couldn’t tell where it started and where it stopped, except one single low hanging white cloud that outlined trees behind and around it.
A few shooting stars would’ve sufficed but what I saw was almost otherworldly. It was like what I imagine space might be like. Stars shooting everywhere. Little flashes of light streaking across the sky as the still water of the river turned this sky show into the ultimate immersive 3D experience. From that night on, I’ve been hooked. Consequently, I have not seen a meteor shower quite as vivacious as that one, although it has definitely given me time to level up on my astrophotography skills, which definitely has been a whole other can of worms..In the meantime, it has been an activity I share with my family and friends.
This light show can be a fun activity for anyone. For about 4 years now, I've been trying to dial in my night photography skills just to capture images I've seen either in person or inspiration of other extremely talented and patient photographers. Mathew Nichols comes to mind, an amazing photographer I discovered a few years back. He truly has the gift for capturing shots of the Milky Way across the skies of some of the PNW’s most iconic spots along the coastline including Ruby Beach. I was thrilled to finally purchased a print from him. He is one of a few artists that I follow who plays with night photography and manages to expose all of the beauty that we don’t usually see during the night here in the PNW.
Images of shooting stars behind towering sea stacks and the bright electric blue bioluminescence smashing into rocks and against cliff sides.Viewing the Perseids is one thing, filming it or trying to capture it on camera is a totally different story. I’ve traveled hours just to find a clear sky to watch the sky light up with these beautiful shooting stars. Viewing is best if you can find a good dark sky and I suggest heading somewhere towards eastern Oregon. If your on the coast, be prepared to be socked in by the marine layer. It’s not a guarantee, but very likely if you’re on the coast. The struggle with heading inland is that’s were a majority of fires are burning usually. If I end up traveling, I typically have a few different location in mind so I decide according to the weather and air quality near the peek of the shower. Find a safe spot away from city lights, give your eyes about 30 minutes to adjust, and simply look up. No telescope required – just patience and a little luck.
Up to 100 shooting stars an hour can be seen on peak of this meteor shower. This Year (2026), there were spectacular ideal conditions that made for an epic show. First off, the peak landed on a new moon so dark skies were guaranteed. There was a beautiful planetary alignment, and a solar eclipse that had a path of totality going through parts of Greenland, Iceland, Spain. A partial eclipse was seen across much of Europe, most parts of Canada and northern parts of the northernUnited States, and Northwestern Africa. Oregon itself was outside the totality zone, so no view there, but the sky did not disappoint.
I was fairly prepped for this meteor shower but life comes up and it did so of course i readapted my plans. I woke up the morning of the 12th with the sky cloud covered and a long day ahead of me. By the time i was ready to head out was late and still cloudy. I headed east to see what i could find and to my surprise we ended up at LL Stub State Park. There were hundreds of people to view this meteor shower. My son woke up to lights everywhere to ask,
“Are we there yet?!”
“We’re here!”
We grabbed our blanket and hot chocolate and found a spot out on the grass with the crowd of people. Not really my scene with so many people but this was definitely an experience unlike any others. It wasn’t going to be a long night of hard work at my photography game, but a night my son and I will never forget. There were streaks lighting up the sky in every color. Some were faint and others were bright with debris flying off the end. I asked him if it was something he would want to do again to which he responded, “Oh no debate, I will watch it every year!”
This year particularly I noticed a lot of hype about the Perseids shower due to the ultra stellar conditions for sky gazing. For some this is great, for others however, it gives you almost a hopeless feeling if you don't catch it... But I would like to conclude this piece with a kind reminder; take the hype with a grain of salt because I have experienced something so unique every year, whether it was a moment by myself or with a loved one. You never know where you’re going to be or where you’re going to end up so take a moment and look up. It’s free to look up and you do not have to wait until any one meteor shower to catch a glimpse of something beautiful or out of this world.
Today, phones have some pretty good cameras. There are a large amount of tutorials and wonderful photographers out there who have great tips for android and iPhone users. So if you are in a dark sky area, don't forget to look up. If you’re able to catch the Perseids, have a blast! Every year there’s always something I find that amazes me and something that I’ve never seen that I probably will never see you again. I hope you all get to experience this amazing phenomenon at least once. Happy stargazing and remember, leave no trace.
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