ALERT NEWSLETTER – April 2025

Hi everyone,

I hope this finds you all well and unscathed from the recent tornadoes.

This widespread and deadly tornado outbreak was the second largest tornado outbreak on record nationwide for the month of March, with 112 tornadoes nationwide, 17 of which struck Alabama, including 15 in central Alabama, 1 in Mobile & Washington County and 1 in Lauderdale County.

The Alabama tornadoes were rated as:

EF0 – 4
EF1 – 6
EF2 – 6

EF3 – 1

Total 17

Longest was an EF2 tornado which tracked through Tuscaloosa & Walker Counties and was on the ground for 39.48 miles.

The widest was an EF1 tornado that moved through Greene, Pickens and Tuscaloosa Counties and was 1200 feet wide.

Tuscaloosa County had the most tornadoes with two EF1 & one EF2 tornadoes.

Sadly, these storms caused 3 fatalities and 6 injuries in Alabama.

Nationwide there were 43 fatalities and over 174 injuries.

The tornadoes were rated as:

EF0 – 20
EF1 – 47
EF2 – 31
EF3 – 11
EF4 – 3

EF5 – 0

Total 112

The strongest tornadoes were 3 EF4 tornadoes. Two in Arkansas and one in Mississippi.

There were no E5 tornadoes.

The last EF5 tornadoes in Alabama were the two EF5 tornadoes which struck Rainsville in DeKalb County and one which swept through Hackleburg and Phil Campbell in Marion and Franklin Counties on April 27,2011.

Though 59 EF5/F5 tornadoes have occurred since 1950, the last EF5 tornado in the United States occurred on May 20, 2013, when an EF5 tornado tore a 17 mile path through the suburbs of Oklahoma City.

This begs the question: “Where have all the EF5s gone?”

According to the National Severe Storms Laboratory the “drought” of EF5 tornadoes in the past decade is perhaps less due to a weakening of tornadoes and more likely due to a stricter use of damage ratings. And, that a storm which might have qualified as an EF5 tornado prior to 2013, might not qualify today, remembering that the EF scale is based on the severity of the storm damage, and the quality of the building’s construction – a well-built, well anchored, substantial structure vs a trailer park or a cluster of rotted barns.

For example, some survey teams rated the Tuscaloosa / Jefferson County tornado of April 27, 2011, as an EF5, however since the structures that were swept away by this tornado were either improperly anchored, lacked interior walls, or were surrounded by damage not consistent with winds exceeding 200 mph, an EF5 rating could not be applied. So, it was given a final rating as a high end EF4, with winds estimated at 190 mph

On January 23, 2025, Anthony W. Lyza with the National Severe Storms Laboratory along with Harold E. Brooks and Makenzie J. Kroca with the University of Oklahoma’s School of Meteorology published a paper to the American Meteorological Society, where they stated the tornado in Tuscaloosa/Jefferson was an “EF5 candidate”. It was also explained that the EF5 starting wind speed should be modified to start at 190 miles per hour instead of 201 miles per hour.

Researchers from the University of Oklahoma determined that lowering the current EF5 wind threshold from 201 mph to 190 mph would create more continuity based on previous climatology, without adjusting damage assessments. For now thought, 201 MPH is still the threshold.

In the end, it’s just a matter of statistics. It doesn’t really matter if it is an EF4 tornado instead of an EF5 that obliterates your house. She’s a goner either way.

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A Hitch Hiker’s Guide To The Radio Frequency Spectrum – Part 2

Last month we started our Grand Tour of The Radio Dial, covering 135.7 kHz to 3.155 MHz.

Looking back, I’ll mention that occasionally from 1.700 – 2.000 kHz you may occasionally hear a CW signal being repeated over and over. These are buoys or “Drift Net” fish net buoys in the Atlantic and Gulf. Generally, they repeat with three ID’s, which are preprogrammed by the manufacturer, such as “3GL”. OM540”, and so forth, followed by a long steady carrier, and a very long pause of no signal. They are battery powered and low power, but they can be heard for hundreds of miles.

As we continue from 3.155 MHz, the next major feature is the 90 Meter Shortwave Band which stretching from 3.200 – 3.400 MHz, which is mostly used locally in tropical regions, with limited long distance reception at night.

In the middle of this band, you will find CHU, Ottawa, Ontario, it’s transmitting Time & Frequency Standard signal in English and French at 3.330 MHz.

There is an Aeronautical Band from 3.400 to 3.500 MHz. Here you will find VOLMET aviation weather broadcasts from Shannon Ireland on 3.413 MHz and New York & Gander Newfoundland on 3.485 MHz.

The acronym “VOLMET” is of French origin from “vol” (flight) and “météo“ (weather report).

Also, you can eaves drop on air traffic control stations talking to aircraft over the Caribbean, North Atlantic and Eastern US on 3.455 Mhz.

Also, there are military stations scattered here and there within this band.

Then we come to the second largest High Frequency Amateur Band – 80 Meters.

450 kHz wide, 80 Meters is also wide wavelength wise, as the bottom is near 80 meters long and the top near 75 meters long. The CW portion has traditionally been called “80 meters” and the voice segment “75 meters”.

75 Meters is home to HF Nets and general chit chat. There is a joke that old timers (and I qualify) tune to a frequency, solder the VFO shaft and break off the knob, never leaving the frequency again, discussing colonoscopies and bursitis. Regardless, the good thing about this is if you know a state’s net frequency, and each state and province has a 75 Meter net, as with a popular repeater, operators will hang out on that frequency, so you probably can find someone in that state, even when a net is not in session.

This can be a great advantage if you need to contact a specific state during an emergency.

75 Meter voice operations, with the exception occasional AM operators, lower sideband is used, as is the case on 160 & 40 Meters. Elsewhere on the Amateur bands, upper sideband is used.

LSB’s use in the lower Amateur bands is a relic from the early days of radio when SSB rigs used a 9 MHz Intermediate Frequency system, and it was easier and cheaper to generate LSB below 9 MHz and USB above 9 MHz. With most designs these days, USB and LSB are equally easy to use, but we keep to the old convention.

LSB is often preferred for shorter range communications, while USB excels for long range
DXing in higher HF bands as USB has a better Signal-to-Noise Ratio and provides a clear, efficient signal and utilizes the available bandwidth more efficiently than LSB, allowing for more efficient spectrum utilization.

On the other hand, LSB is less susceptible to phase noise, making it more robust in noisy environments, such as that encountered in the lower bands, which deal with static from thunderstorms. Also, LSB modulation consumes less power, resulting in improved power efficiency and requires simpler circuitry and signal processing as compared to USB modulation.

Personally, I have always thought LSB has a “richer” sound, which is more pleasing to the ear, as opposed to USB, but that’s just me and my rotted out ears.

There is no FCC restriction that says you can’t use USB on 160, 80 or 40 meters. But, if 99.99999% of hams are using LSB and you use USB, you may unknowingly interfere with other operators, and if nothing else, you will sound weird, which will cause folk to avoid you, since they don’t want to sound weird too. So “when in Rome do as the Romans do”.

In the daylight hours, the 80/75 Meter range is roughly 250 miles, which from Birmingham, means Georgia, Mississippi, North Florida and Tennessee are in range. During the evening hours the distance stretches to 800 miles or more, as is evident from AM signals drifting in from Europe, as elsewhere in the world 3.900 – 4.000 MHz is also the 75 Meter Shortwave band, mostly used in the Eastern Hemisphere after dark; and usually not widely received in North and South America. Also, elsewhere in the world there is a civilian aircraft band from 3.900 – 4.000 MHz.

So, if you hear non-ham and broadcast stations late at night, don’t panic or get mad as some do, it just means that the band is open to Europe and Africa. Go work some DX instead!

The ARRL band plan and usage is as follows:

3.500 MHz Begin Extra CW/Data Sub band
3.525 MHz Begin Novice, Technician, General & Advanced CW / Data Sub band
3.574 MHz FT8
3.590 MHz RTTY/Data DX
3.570 – 3.600 MHz RTTY/Data
3.600 MHz End CW/Data Sub band
Begin Extra Phone Sub band
3.668 MHz Geratol Worked All States Net Oct 1 – Apr 30 1:00 UTC
3.700 MHz Begin Advanced Phone Sub band
3.742 MHz Ontario Phone Net Daily 7:00 PM
3.790 – 3.800 MHz DX window
3.800 MHz Begin General Phone Sub band
3.810 MHz West Virgina Fone Net Daily 5:00 PM
3.816 MHz Kentucky Phone Net Nightly 5:00 PM
3.820 MHz Maryland Emergency Phone Net Daily 5:00 PM
3.845 MHz SSTV window
3.860 MHz Minnesota ARES Phone Net Daily 5:30 PM
3.862 MHz Mississippi Section Phone Net Daily 6:00 PM
3.8625 MHz Magnolia Section Net Mon – Fri 6:00 AM
Magnolia Section Net Sat & Sun 7:00 AM
3.873 MHz Texas Traffic Net Mon – Sat 6:30 PM
Louisiana ARES Net Sunday 7:30 PM
3.885 MHz AM calling frequency
3.900 MHz Begin 75 Meter Shortwave Band
Oklahoma Traffic & Weather Net Mon – Sat 5:00 Indiana Section ARES HF Net Sun 5:00 PM
3.905 MHz Delaware Traffic Net Mon – Sat 5:30 PM Winter
Illinois Sideband Net Daily 6:00 PM
DelMarVa Phone Emergency Net Sunday 6:30 PM
3.910 MHz Louisiana Traffic Net Daily 6:00 PM
3.912 MHz Indiana Traffic Net Daily 6:00 PM
3.915 MHz South Carolina SSB Net Daily 6:00 PM
3.918 MHz Western Penn Phone Traffic Net Daily 4:30 PM
3.920 MHz Kansas Sideband Net Daily 6:30 PM
Kansas Evening Weather Net Daily 6:00 PM
Pennsylvania Fone Net M, W & F 7:00 PM
3.923 MHz Tarheel Emergency Net Daily 6:30 PM
North Carolina Evening Net Daily 5;30 PM
3.925 MHz New York State Phone & EM Net Daily 5:00 PM
3.9275 MHz Kentucky Emergency Net Mon 6:30 PM
3.935 MHz Wolverine Single Sideband Net Daily 4:00 PM
Central Gulf Coast Hurricane Net Daily 6:30 PM
3.940 MHz South Florida Traffic Net Daily 9:30 PM
3.942 MHz Tropical Florida Amateur SSB Net Daily 6:00 PM
3.947 MHz Virgina Sideband Net Daily 5:00 PM
3.950 MHz New Jersey Phone Net Daily 5:00 PM
Northern Florida Phone Net Daily 6:30 PM
3.963 MHz Missouri Traffic Net Daily 5:45 PM
Missouri Emergency Services Net Sunday 6:30 PM
3.965 MHz Alabama Traffic Net Mike Daily 6:00 PM
Alabama Day Net Daily 10:00 AM
Alabama Emergency Net Sunday 4:00 PM
3.970 MHz Iowa 75 Meter Net Mon – Sat 13:30 PM
Iowa 75 Meter Net Mon – Sat 5:30 PM
Iowa Traffic And Emergency Net Sun 6:00 PM
3.9725 MHz Ohio Single Sideband Net Daily 5:30 PM
3.975 MHz Georgia Single Sideband Net Daily 6:00 PM
Georgia Traffic Net Mon – Sat 12:00 PM
Georgia Cracker Net Mon – Sat 6:00 AM
Georgia Cracker Net Sun 7:00 AM
Georgia ARES Net Sun 5:00 PM
3.978 MHz Mass/Rhode Island Phone Net Daily 4:00 PM
3.980 MHz Tennessee Phone Net Mon – Fri 5:40 AM
Tennessee Phone Net Mon – Fri 6:45 AM
Tennessee Phone Net Mon – Sat 6:30 PM
Tennessee Phone Net Sat & Sun 7:00 AM
3.982 MHz Cornhusker Net Daily 5:30 PM
Nebraska Storm Net Daily 6:30 PM
3.9825 Wisconsin Sideband Net Daily 5:15 PM
3.983 MHz Western Penn ARES Voice Net Sat 8:00 PM
3.985 MHz Badger Emergency Net Daily 12:00 PM
Wisconsin Sideband Net Daily 5:15 PM
3.9875 MHz Arkansas Razorback Net Daily 5:25 PM
Arkansas Section Net 1st Monday 6:00 PM
Arkansas Weather Net As Needed
3.995 MHz South Carolina ARES/RACES Net 1st & 3rd Mon 5:00 PM
4.000 MHz End 80 Meter Amateur Band
End 75 Meter Shortwave Band

From 4.000 to 4.063 MHz there is a Fixed / Mobile Band,

From 4.063 to 4.438 MHz is the 4 MHz Marine Band.

The 4 MHz Aeronautical Band lies from 4.650 to 4.750 MHz, however it is lightly used.

The 60 Meter Shortwave Band lies from 4.750 MHz to 4.995 MHz, and is mostly used locally in tropical regions, especially Brazil, although it is widely usable at night.

And finally at 5.000 MHz, you find WWV in Fort Collins Colorado & WWVH – Kekaha, HI broadcasting Time & Frequency Standard signals

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Mark’s Almanac

The Romans called April “Aprilis”, probably from the word “aperire”, which means, “to open”. This time of year being when buds open. It was originally the second month of the Roman calendar, before Roman King Numa Pompilius added January & February in 700 BC.

Freezing weather comes to an end as Birmingham’s average last freeze is April 1, while Tuscaloosa’s is March 26. The record for the latest freeze date is April 21, 1953 for Tuscaloosa and April 23, 1986 for Birmingham.

Snowfall is still possible though, as April 3, 1987’s 5 inches proves. The latest trace of snow was April 25, 1910.

April is less wet than March & rain becomes more localized and less widespread in nature. The sun heats the lower atmosphere near the ground and since the upper atmosphere is still cold, the warm air rises, reaches the dew point line, forms clouds & then it may rain. April is the first time in the spring season that favors local convective activity, which is why you have “April Showers”.

North Atlantic Tropical activity remains at a minimum. From 1851 to 2024 there has never been a Hurricane and only two Tropical Storms – Ana in 2003 and Arlene in 2017 which affected only shipping.

April is peak tornado month, with wide scale outbreaks possible. There are 2 ½ times the number of tornadoes as in March. 25% of the year’s tornadoes will have occurred by April 28.

From April 1950 to 2024, 3045 tornadoes were reported in Alabama. From 1950 – 2024 there were 689 direct and indirect deaths, and 8,448 direct and indirect injuries.

Some notable occurrences include:

April 23, 1908, a “generational” outbreak began that would be called the “Dixie Tornado Outbreak” which killed 320 people. Though Alabama was struck by only 4 of the 29 tornadoes spawned, one was an F4 or a family of long track tornadoes that stayed on the ground for 105 miles for nearly an hour and a half from Walker & Jefferson County, though Blount, Marshall and Dekalb Counties killing 35 and injuring 188.

April 15, 1956, “The McDonalds Chapel Tornado”, an F4 tornado that, killed 25 and injured 200.

April 3 – 4, 1974, also known as “The Day of 100 Tornadoes” or the 1974 Super Outbreak, which killed 315, including 86 in Alabama, which endured 8 of the 148 tornadoes spawned. Of particular note was the F5 tornado that devastated the town of Guin. This was the longest-duration tornado recorded in the outbreak at one hour forty minutes, travelling 79 miles, and is one of the most violent tornadoes ever recorded.

The devastation was so complete in one six block area that NWS damage surveyor Bill Herman, remarked that “It was just like the ground had been swept clean. It was just as much of a total wipeout as you can have”. J.B. Elliot noted that the destruction was so complete that even some of the foundations were “dislodged, and in some cases swept away.”

April 4, 1977, the F5 “Smithfield” tornado struck Jefferson county, killing 22 and injuring 130. One of seven tornadoes that day. This tornado was so devastating that Dr. Ted Fujita initially considered assigning it a rating of F6.

Only two tornadoes have ever had a preliminary F6 rating. The Lubbock Tornado of May 11, 1970, and the Xenia Ohio Tornado of April 3, 1974, both of which were downgraded to F5. The Enhanced Fujita Scale now in use goes to EF5 and, like the Saffir-Simpson hurricane Scale is an open ended scale.

April 8, 1998, an outbreak produced five tornadoes including the F5 “Oak Grove Tornado”, which killed 32 and injured 259.

April 25-28, 2011, would see the next and latest “generational” outbreak producing 360 tornadoes, peaking with 217 on April 27. Of Alabama’s 62 tornadoes, 29 occurred in central Alabama in two distinct waves.

This includes the EF4 tornado, which tore through Tuscaloosa and Jefferson County. A photogenic storm causing heavy damage in Tuscaloosa County and after entering Jefferson County rapidly intensifying to its maximum intensity and width, appearing as an ugly massive wedge tornado as it reached the suburbs of Birmingham, in total killing 64 and injuring 1500.

So, as past Aprils remind us, keep an eye to the sky!

Days continue to grow longer as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon rapidly increases from 61.1 degrees at the beginning of the month to 71.3 degrees at the end. Daylight increases from 12 hours 32 minutes on April 1 to 13 hours 29 minutes on April 30.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

April 1 Sunrise 6:35 AM Sunset 7:08 PM
April 15 Sunrise 6:17 AM Sunset 7:18 PM
April 30 Sunrise 6:00 AM Sunset 7:29 PM

Looking skyward, the Sun, magnitude -26.7 is in Pisces, The Fish.

Mercury, magnitude 3.7, is in Pisces, The Fish, is hidden in the glow of the Sun.

Venus, magnitude –4.2, is in Pisces, The Fish, has emerged into the predawn sky.

At the first of the month, she will rise at 5:26 AM CDT, 1 hour and 6 minutes before the Sun, and reach an altitude of 9° above the eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 6:17 AM CDT.

By midmonth he will rise at 4:36 AM CDT, 1 hour and 38 minutes before the Sun, and reach an altitude of 16° above the eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 5:58 AM CDT.

By the end of the month, she will rise at 4:02 AM CDT, 1 hour and 55 minutes before the Sun and reach an altitude of 19° above the eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 5:41 AM CDT.

Venus, like Mercury, has no moon, most likely because they are too close to the Sun.

Any moon with too great a distance from these planets would be in an unstable orbit and it would be captured by the Sun, and if they were too close to these planets they would be destroyed by planet’s tidal gravitational forces. The zones around these planets where a moon could enter a stable orbit are so narrow that no object was ever captured into orbit, or created from space debris.

But, that doesn’t mean that Venus is necessarily alone, for Venus has a “quasi-satellite” or quasi-moon.

While a traditional moon orbits a planet, a quasi-satellite stays close to a planet while orbiting the Sun in a similar orbit. In this case, it has a more oblong orbit than Venus, which doesn’t exert enough gravity to hold the asteroid in its own orbit. Although the planet’s gravitational influence affects the stability of the quasi-moon orbit, the orbit is so complex and unstable that the gravitational factors of other objects in space will pull it away within about 500 years, at which point it will lose its quasi-satellite status and just be an asteroid.

This companion is called 524522 Zoozve.

Venus’ quasi-moon is the first of its kind to be discovered orbiting the Sun near a major planet and has most likely been its companion for at least 7,000 years. It is between 660 feet and 1,640 feet in diameter based on its brightness.

The object had a preliminary designation as 2002VE, which someone misread on a chart as “Zoozve” and the International Astronomical Union approved the name.

Earth, magnitude -4.0, as viewed from the Sun, and her Moon is in the constellation Virgo, The Virgin, has seven known quasi-satellites.

164207 Cardea (provisional designation 2004 GU9) is a small 525 – 1180 feet asteroid that will hang around the neighborhood until 2600.

(277810) 2006 FV35, provisional designation 2006 FV35, is a 459 – 1050 foot asteroid. It has an orbital period is almost exactly 1 year, but, the orbit is highly eccentric, causing it to cross the
Paths of both Venus and Mars.

2013 LX28, is a 425 – 985 foot asteroid, in a kidney-shaped retrograde orbit around the Earth orbital plane.

2014 OL339 is an Aten 558 foot asteroid moving in a retrograde kidney-shaped path going from east to west relative to Earth. It became a quasi-satellite at least 775 years ago and after a “close” encounter with Earth will cease being one 165 years from now.

469219 Kamoʻoalewa provisionally designated 2016 HO3, is a very small 130 – 33- foot elongated asteroid, and currently the second-smallest, closest, and most stable known such quasi-satellite.

The object’s Earth-like orbit, proximity to the Earth-Moon system, higher spectral reddening to other asteroids, and similarity to space weathered lunar materials indicate that it is likely lunar ejecta, possibly from the lunar far-side highland crust crater, Giordano Bruno.

The name Kamoʻoalewa is derived from the Hawaiian words ka ‘the’, moʻo ‘fragment’, referring to it being a piece broken off a larger object, a ‘of’, and lewa ‘to oscillate’, referring to its motion in the sky as viewed from Earth.

2020 PP1 is a 33 – 100 foot asteroid, and quasi satellite.

2023 FW13 is a newly discovered quasi satellite, spotted on March 28, 2023, from the Pan-STARRS telescope at Hawaii. It has a very eccentric orbit, reaching out halfway to Mars and halfway to Venus. It’s estimated that it has circled Earth since 100 B.C. and will continue until 3700 A.D.

Mars, with his moons Phobos and Deimos, magnitude +0.2, in Gemini, The Twins, is an early evening object.

At the beginning of the month, he will become visible around 7:36 PM CDT, 59° above the southern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 7:47 PM CDT, 80° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 1:58 AM CDT, when he sinks below 10° above the western horizon.

Mars will reach his furthest point from the Sun, or Aphelion on April 16 when he will be 154,869,952 miles from the Sun.

By midmonth he becomes visible around 7:50 PM CDT, 76° above the south-western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting at 2:21 AM CDT.

By the end of the month, he will become visible around 8:05 PM CDT, 67° above the south-western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting at 1:43 AM CDT.

Dwarf Planet Ceres, magnitude 9.2, is in Aquarius, The Water Bearer.

Jupiter, and his 95 moons and (invisible from Earth) ring, magnitude –2.2 is in Taurus, The Bull, is receding into the evening twilight.

At the beginning of the month, he will become visible around 7:22 PM CDT, 57° above the western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting at midnight.

By midmonth he becomes visible around 7:33 PM CDT, 45° above the western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting at 11:25 PM CDT.

By the end of the month, he will become visible around 7:45 PM CDT, 33° above the western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting at 10:39 PM CDT.

Saturn, and his swarm of moons and extensive debris ring system, magnitude +1.1, is in Aquarius, The Water Bearer.

The biggest news in the Solar System regards Saturn’s moon. On March 11, 2025, the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center announced the discovery of 128 new moons around Saturn, bringing the total number of moons to 274.

These are potato shaped rocks, some less than 2.5 miles in size.

Saturn will be lost in the glow of the Sun until April 28, when he will emerge into the morning sky rising at 4:17 AM CDT, 1 hour and 42 minutes before the Sun and reach an altitude of 12° above the eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 5:22 AM CDT.

Uranus, and his 28 moons and ring, magnitude +5.8, in Taurus The Bull, is an early evening object, now receding into evening twilight.

At the first of the month he become visible around 8:06 PM CDT, 27° above the western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then sink towards the horizon, setting 3 hours and 21 minutes after the Sun at 10:28 PM CDT.

On April 8 he will disappear from the night sky being lost in the glow of the Sun.

Neptune, and his 16 moons and ring, magnitude +7.8 in Pisces, The Fish, is hidden in the glow of the Sun.

Dwarf Planet Pluto, the largest Dwarf Planet, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.6 in Capricornus, The Sea Goat.

Dwarf Planet 136108 Haumea, her ring and moons Hiʻiaka and Namaka, shines at a faint magnitude of 17.3 in Bootes, The Herdsman.

Dwarf Planet 136472 Makemake with his moon S/2015 (136472) 1, nicknamed MK1 by the discovery team, shines faintly at magnitude +17.1 in Coma Berenices.

Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris, the second largest Dwarf Planet, and her moon Dysnomia, originally referred to as Xena and Gabrielle, is barely visible in the most powerful telescopes at magnitude +18.7 in Cetus the Sea Monster.

At least six additional bodies with the preliminary criteria for identifying dwarf planets, and though not “officially” declared as such, are generally called dwarf planets by astronomers as well.

90482 Orcus, and his moon Vanth shines at magnitude 19.1 in Sagittarius, The Archer.
.
50000 Quaoar, and his moon Waywot shines at magnitude +18.6 in Pisces, The Fish.

90377 Sedna, the coldest, and at one time, the most distant known place in the Solar System, glows faintly at magnitude +20.9 in Taurus, The Bull.

225088 Gonggong, the third largest Dwarf Planet, originally nicknamed Snow White by the discovery team, and his moon Xiangli glows dimly at +21.5 magnitude in Pisces, The Fish.

2014 UZ224 nicknamed “DeeDee” for “Distant Dwarf” is 8.5 billion miles from the Sun, at magnitude +23.0 in Eridanus, The River.

120347 Salacia, and her moon Actaea glows at magnitude 20.7 in Gemini, The Twins. Salacia is considered a “borderline” Dwarf Planet. Some astronomers saying she “most certainly is a Dwarf Planet”, while others disagreeing based on her size, saying she is too small to have compressed into a fully solid body, to have been resurfaced, or to have collapsed into “hydrostatic equilibrium”, that is to assume spherical shape like a planet.

Currently the most distant observable known object in the Solar System, an asteroid unofficially called Asteroid 2018 AG37, and nicknamed FarFarOut, glows at a barely detectable +25.5 magnitude in Lynx.
s
FarFarOut is currently 12,264,525,210 miles or in Light Time, 18 hours, 17 minutes and 18 seconds from Earth.

The most distant man-made object, Voyager 1, still operating after 47 years, 6 month and 15 days is 15,602,033,032 miles, or in Light Time, 23 hours, 15 minutes 54 Seconds from Earth as of 12:16 PM, March 20, 2025, sailing 38,027 miles per hour through Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer.
Voyager – Mission Status (nasa.gov) & Voyager 1 | TheSkyLive

There are 1,442,263 known asteroids and 4,001 comets as of March 20, 2025 per NASA/JPL Solar Dynamics Website JPL Solar System Dynamics (nasa.gov).

Near Earth Object, asteroid 99942 Apophis, is expected to pass within 19,794 miles of the Earth on Friday, April 13, 2029.

Apophis, magnitude +20.6, in Piscis, The Fish, is 162,668,840 miles or 1484 days from the Earth as of 1:33 PM, , February 21, 2025.

Asteroid 2024 YR4, which will pass though the Earth – Moon system on Wednesday, December 22, 2032, dimly glows at magnitude +26.3, in Cancer, The Crab. It currently is 91,671,126 Miles or 2834 days from the Earth as of 12:43 PM March 20, 2025.

5,862 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of March 18, 2025, per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive http://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/.

First Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Western side illuminated, will occur April 4 at 9:16 PM or 02:16 UTC on April 5.

During the Quarter Moons the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0.

April’s Full Moon will occur on April 12 at 7:23 PM CST or 00:24 UTC April 13. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Pink Moon because it marked the appearance of the moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the first spring flowers. This moon has also been known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Growing Moon, and the Egg Moon. Many coastal tribes called it the Fish Moon because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn.

This moon has also been known as the Full Crow Moon, the Full Crust Moon, the Full Sap Moon, and the Lenten Moon.

During a Full Moon the Moon’s magnitude is -12.7.

This month’s Full Moon is a Micromoon, as it is occurring as the Moon is near her farthest distance from the Earth 252,062 miles.

The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on April 13, when she will be 252,460 miles from Earth.

Last Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Eastern side illuminated, will occur April 20 at 8:37 PM CDT or 01:37 UTC April 21

During the Quarter Moons the Moon’s magnitude is -10.0.

The Lyrid Meteor Shower which, runs annually from April 16 – 25, peaks on the evening of April 22 and morning of April 23. This is a average shower, with only 12 to 24 meteors per hour. These meteors sometimes produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds.

This shower is produced by dust particles left behind by comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, which was discovered in 1861.

The thin crescent moon will not pose much of a problem so this should be a good show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Lyra, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

The Moon will be at Perigee or her closest approach to Earth on April 27, when she will be 221,903 miles from Earth.

New Moon will occur on April 27 at 2:33 PM CDT or 19:33 UTC. The Moon will be located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.

Because this New Moon will occur at her closest approach to Earth, this will be a Super New Moon.

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The CQ Worldwide WPX SSB Contest will occur March 29 & the ARRL SSB Rookie Roundup will take place on April 13. For more information see WA7BNM Contest Calendar: 12-Month Calendar

This month’s meeting will be on April 8 at 7PM.

The meeting will held at the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Calera.

Mark Wells
WD4NYL