ALERT NEWSLETTER – November 2025

Hi everyone,

I hope this finds you well, and enjoying the calm, dry weather of the Fall Season.

While we have this lull in our weather, we must remember that November is the beginning of the
Fall tornado season and the Fall season is often more severe than the Spring season.

Now is time to review your emergency plans and procedures, brush up on your skills, and check and prepare your equipment.

I’ve learned the hard way over the years that equipment that may have worked fine just a few months or weeks ago can silently and often mysteriously deteriorate and fail you just the moment you need it the most.

So, check your radio equipment, accessories, cables and your antennas and make sure they
still operate properly.

How long has it been since you charged your handie-talkies? Be forewarned that you can’t always trust a “battery indicator”, as it may be for “show” only, and can indicate a full charge when the battery is running on fumes.

If you bought a radio for the proverbial “SHTF”, have you learned how to use it by getting the appropriate license and learning the skill through regular use?

Though Hollywood portrays people in emergencies pulling a radio out, calling on some random frequency, and rescuers suddenly appearing, that’s not quite how it works.

The truth is, one needs to learn how to use the equipment, learn what does and doesn’t work, when, where and why, and then stay practiced up by regular use. For is the only way you can learn how to overcome problems that WILL reveal themselves, and what to expect performance and skill wise.

Think of it this way – let’s say you decide to cook Thanksgiving dinner, and you have never cooked before. You can look at a dozen YouTube videos, check every chatroom and Facebook group and buy a mountain of cookbooks, but your odds of success aren’t very good, while the odds of an ER visit are excellent. You want to learn and practice before the big event. That way you stack the odds in your favor.

Part of “preparedness” is preparing – learning and practicing skills and how to use the equipment. Especially if it is for emergency use. You want to be so accustomed to using radios that it’s just as normal as using a telephone. My wife and I have been hams for a long time. For us “switching to the radio” is just as normal as breathing.

For more information on how to get started, check out these resources:

Getting Licensed
Shelby County Amateur Radio Club – Getting Started in Amateur Radio
Central Alabama VEC Inc
Amateur Radio Advancement Group

What condition is your NOAA Weatheradio in? If it has a battery backup make sure you have fresh batteries and that it still works. NOAA tests these radios (unless severe weather is expected) every Saturday and Wednesday around 11 AM.

On your Smartphone, install phone Apps from local broadcast media and make sure your phone Apps are up to date. I also bookmark websites, such as radar and information sources.

Never rely on social media posts for warnings or information, including from me. Don’t even rely on broadcast media postings, as some social media algorithms can accidently “bury” a warning in the newsfeed and it be very much delayed, sometimes by days. Other social media sources may be well meaning, sincere, and sincerely wrong. And some sources may be precise, concise, convincing and completely insane.

Instead trust the REAL experts at our NWS. They have the training, knowledge and expertise which you can place confidence in.

What about “tornado sirens”? In my opinion they are still a valuable resource and should never be done away with or left to fall into disrepair. That said, you should not depend on them as your sole source of warning. Remember that not all locations have them and even if they do, you could be in an acoustical shadow caused by a ridge or valley and not hear them even though they are sounding.

If you DO hear one sounding, try to find out why it is sounding.

Is it a test or a warning and if it is a warning, what type of warning? We are accustomed to think “weather”, but, given the times in which we live, and have always lived, remember that weather warnings are in addition to their original purpose, which then and now is to warn of an incoming nuclear attack, so it could be weather related, or it could be something much more dire.

For example, I had a coworker come to me and ask, “why are air raid sirens are going off, is something wrong?”, and I explained about their use for severe storms. In the country he had migrated from, sirens meant they were about to be hit by missiles, drones and bombs. Which serves as a reminder that given the right combination of bad circumstances, the blaring sound could mean things other than “weather”.

With that cheerful note, here’s hoping for a calm Fall as we look forward to Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season.

Stay safe!

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As The Sun Sinks Slowly In The West

Every evening from millennia past the nightly spectacle unfolds. The sky, unless cloudy, reddens in the west, the sun sets, sometimes brilliantly, sometimes subdued, and the sky fades into ever darkening shades of blue. The stars appear one by one and quietly they shift westward through the night, until in the wee hours of the morning when the process reverses, the stars fade, the inky black sky fades into lightening shades of blue and the glow in the eastern sky announces the suns arrival, as a new day begins.

Sunsets, as common as they are, are one of the magical spectacles of nature. Sunsets, like most things in life, are more complex than they might first appear.

Sunsets are divided, sometimes indistinctly, into various phases, some defined by artists, poets and photographers, some by mariners and governments.

As the afternoon proceeds from midday, the shadows lengthen eastward, leading to a period known as the “Magic Hours”, where the world changes before your eyes into a dreamscape of colors, shading and moods written about in poem and song.

The first “Magic Hour” is the ”Golden Hour”, which starts when the Sun descends to 6° above the horizon and ends when it is 4° below the horizon.

During Golden Hour, which is a term that is more descriptive of the coloration, than the actual duration, the sunlight is redder and softer than usual, and it is the perfect time to photograph silhouettes, backlit portraits, nature and urban landscapes, and the near Full Moon on the eastern horizon, before it becomes so bright that it overwhelms the camera. For non-photographers, it can range from just “pretty” to breathtaking, depending on the interplay between sunlight, smoke and clouds.

The actual Sunset begins when the lower edge of the Sun touches the horizon and ends when the upper edge disappears below the horizon. Though it may seem to last 20 to 30 minutes, it really takes only 2 to 3 minutes, though the length can vary by latitude and by atmospheric conditions.

For instance, the atmosphere can refract the light, distorting and stretching the solar image and lengthen the apparent sunset time, and if conditions are perfect, it can act as a prism separating the light and cause the red Sunset to end in a rare event called the “Green Flash”, where a distinct emerald green flash or ray is seen on the horizon lasting a second or two, and under perfect conditions an even rarer “Blue Flash” has been seen.

At Sunset, from the point when the Sun disappears from the horizon to when it reaches 18° below the horizon we enter the first of three periods called “Twilight”.

Twilight is a time of the day when the Sun is below the horizon and not visible directly, but is still illuminating the sky. We can see twilight because the Earth’s atmosphere scatters the light and illuminates the sky even though direct sunlight is gone.

We first encounter “Civil Twilight”, which lasts roughly 45 minutes.

Civil Twilight is the brightest period; the sky is still very bright and full of vivid colors. Most people are referring to this period when talking about twilight.

During Civil Twilight, there is still enough natural light that artificial light is not needed, though according to most municipal ordinances, streetlights must turn on, and car headlights should be on.

The horizon is easily visible; Chimney Swifts or “Chimney Sweeps” as I always heard them called, and bats are seen swooping and darting about catching dinner on a wing and a prayer, and making you instinctively duck, as if you might be a tasty morsel, and the brightest stars and planets start fading into view.

Within Civil Twilight the Golden Hour extends until the Sun is 4° below the horizon. After this point is reached, the “Blue Hour” begins and lasts until the end of Civil Twilight when the Sun is 6° below the horizon.

Blue hour is a period of the day when the Sun is well below the horizon, and the remaining sunlight has a blue hue. It’s a perfect time for photographers who want to take pictures of cities, nature, emerging wildlife, architecture and the Moon.

At the end of Civil Twilight, also called Civil Dusk, Nautical Twilight begins. Nautical twilight is so named because during this period sailors can navigate using bright stars and the horizon, which is still visible.

During Nautical Twilight many of the brighter stars can be seen, artificial light is generally needed for outdoor activities, and cities are fully illuminated. Photographers like this period for landscape, city, and long exposure shots.

Nautical Twilight ends at Nautical Dusk, when the Sun is 12° below the horizon. After this, the horizon vanishes, and a mariner cannot distinguish between sea and sky.

Astronomical Twilight then begins, which lasts until the Sun is 18° below the horizon and ends with Astronomical Dusk at which “Night” truly begins.

In dark skies, the Milky Way starts to appear, and faint stars and planets can be observed with the naked eye unless the Moon is illuminating the sky.

For most people, this period appears like “Night” and from a good site the sky looks dark and full of stars. So, you might ask, if the sky appears so dark, why bother defining this last period of twilight?

During astronomical twilight, Earth’s atmosphere is still refracting sunlight and scattering some skyward, which hinders deep sky observations.

Astronomical Twilight ends when the Sun is 18° below the horizon and ends with Astronomical Dusk at which the sky is truly dark, and “Night” truly begins, when faint astronomical objects are most accessible.

The night then progresses with an ever decreasing number of cars on the city streets, the fading sound of distant trains, and a midnight chill as the stars drift lazily by. This may be accompanied with the crackling of leaves as old Tom goes prowling on soft velvety feet, and as you just doze off, the hooting of an owl might shake you awake, reminding you that you are out in the gloom.

Then silently the Sun reaches 18° below the eastern horizon and Astronomical Dawn begins and the truly dark sky begins to disappear. Now the process reverses as the stars fade and the sky lightens with Astronomical Twilight, Nautical Twilight, Civil Twilight, Blue and Golden Hours, Sunrise, and the Golden Hour fading into daytime.

And, then you may hear a chuckle in the trees, as a squirrel laughs at you for having stayed up all night, not having a wink of sleep.

The times for the various stages of twilight may be found at: Sunrise and sunset times in Birmingham

At sunset, while you are concentrating on western skies, you might turn around and look towards the east.

On very clear days as the Sun sinks further below the horizon, a pinkish glow may be seen rising, followed by what appears to be a grayish cloud rising on the horizon.

What you are seeing is the silhouette of the earth’s shadow being cast against darkening sky.

The pink fringe, which is technically called an “anti-twilight arch” was called in Victorian times “The Belt of Venus” or “Venus’s Girdle” and the shadow itself being “the dark segment”, or more commonly called the “Earth Shadow”, which, as the sky darkens, slowly fades into the darkening sky.

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Mark’s Almanac

With the arrival of November, we enter our second tornado season. Alabama and the Southeast are “blessed” by being the only area on Earth having two tornado seasons. The cause of the second season is the same as the spring season – clashes of cold and warm air masses. The cold air of winter is invading and trying to push the warmth of the summer back into the sea, which is the same process of springtime.

This second season is often more destructive than the spring season. From 1950 to 2024 there have been 280 November tornadoes in Alabama resulting in 52 fatalities and 1069 injuries. The third largest tornado outbreak occurred on November 24 – 25 2001 when 36 tornadoes occurred, and 21 tornadoes occurred during the outbreak of November 23 – 24 2004.

November was Alabama’s leading tornado month from 2001 to 2011 until the dual outbreaks of April 15 and April 27, 2011, erased that record.

November is still the third most active month for tornadoes over a 70+ year period.

Some suggest that there are not two seasons, but rather, one long season that stretches from November through May, as December through February are certainly not tornado free.

So, beware of a warm & muggy November day. Especially one with a south wind, as something may really be “in the air”.

2025 Preliminary Tornado Statistics as of 10/06/2025

1. Texas 148
2. Illinois 136
3. Missouri 120
4. Mississippi 103
5. North Dakota 72
6. Alabama 68
7. Oklahoma 65
8. Indiana 64
9. Arkansas 60
10. Minnesota 56
    Nebraska 56

The Hurricane threat greatly diminishes, with hurricane activity occurring mainly in the open Atlantic, threatening the Eastern Seaboard, but usually veering off into sea as cold fronts off the East Coast deflect them. Hurricanes can still form in the Caribbean, which usually visit the Yucatan, but can enter the Gulf.

From 1851 – 2024 there have been 103 Tropical Storms and 51 hurricanes, 6 of which made landfall in the United States.

Some notable November hurricanes are:

The 1932 Cuba hurricane, known also as the Hurricane of Santa Cruz del Sur or the 1932 Camagüey Hurricane. Although forming as a tropical depression on October 30, it became the only Category 5 Atlantic hurricane ever recorded in November, and was the deadliest and one of the most intense tropical cyclones in Cuban history. On November 6, the tropical cyclone reached its peak intensity as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph. The storm weakened to Category 4 intensity as it came ashore in Cuba’s Camagüey Province on November 9 with winds of 150 mph. The storm took 3,033 lives.

Hurricane Ida, in 2009, was the strongest land falling tropical cyclone during the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season. Ida formed on November 4 in the southwestern Caribbean, and within 24 hours struck the Nicaragua coast with winds of 80 mph. It weakened significantly over land, although it restrengthened in the Yucatán Channel to peak winds of 105 mph. Ida weakened and became an extratropical cyclone in the northern Gulf of Mexico before spreading across the southeastern United States. The remnants of Ida contributed to the formation of a nor’easter that significantly affected the eastern coast of the United States.

1985’s Hurricane Kate was the latest Hurricane in any calendar year to strike the United States.
Kate formed on November 15 and reached hurricane intensity on November 16, and reached Category 2 intensity three days later. Kate struck the northern coast of Cuba on November 19. Once clear of land, she strengthened quickly, becoming a Category 3 storm and reached its peak intensity of 120 mph. On November 21 Kate came ashore near Mexico Beach, Florida, as Category 2 hurricane with winds of 100 mph.

Hurricane Lenny, or Wrong Way Lenny, occurred in 1999. It is the second-strongest November Atlantic hurricane on record, behind the 1932 Cuba hurricane. Lenny formed on November 13 in the western Caribbean Sea and moved retrograde from the West to East passing South of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. He reached hurricane status south of Jamaica on November 15 and rapidly intensified over the northeastern Caribbean on November 17, attaining peak winds of 155 mph near Saint Croix in the United States Virgin Islands. It gradually weakened while moving through the Leeward Islands, eventually dissipating on November 23 over the open Atlantic Ocean.

1994’s Hurricane Gordon claimed 1122 lives in Haiti when it passed just west of the country as a tropical storm on November 13, 1994.

Figure 2 – November Tropical Cyclone Breeding Grounds

Both the Atlantic and Pacific Hurricane seasons ends November 30.

Days rapidly grow shorter as the Sun’s angle above the noonday horizon steadily decreases from 40.9 degrees at the beginning of the month to 34.8 degrees at the month’s end. Daylight decreases from 10 hours 51 minutes on November 1 to 10 hours 09 minutes on November 30.

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

November 1 Sunrise 7:06 AM Sunset 5:55 PM
November 15 Sunrise 6:19 AM Sunset 4:44 PM – After Daylight Savings Time Ends
November 31 Sunrise 6:33 AM Sunset 4:39 PM

The blooms of summer have faded, but you may find yourself still sneezing, due to ragweed and mold.

Mold is a fall allergy trigger. You may think of mold growing in your basement or bathroom – damp areas in the house – but mold spores also love wet spots outside. Piles of damp leaves are ideal breeding grounds for mold.

Oh, and did I mention dust mites? While they are common during the humid summer months, they can get stirred into the air the first time you turn on your heat in the fall. Dust mites can trigger sneezes, wheezes, and runny noses.

November welcomes the peak of fall colors. For Birmingham the peak occurs around November 15, but the date can vary depending on your elevation & latitude.

Indian Summer and Squaw Winter continue to battle it out, but the cool or cold weather will eventually win, with the first average frost being on November 11.

The usual fall effects occur in North America with Canada’s Hudson Bay becoming unnavigable due to pack ice & icebergs. Navigation in the Great Lakes becomes perilous due to storms bringing the “Gales Of November” made famous in the Gordon Lightfoot song “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald”.

And don’t be surprised if you hear ducks overhead & see wedges of Canadian geese heading south for the winter. And if you see strange birds appearing in your front yard, remember that for 336 species of birds Alabama IS south for the winter.

Looking skyward, at the beginning of the month, the Sun, magnitude -26.8 is in Libra, The Scales.

Mercury, magnitude +2.4, in Scorpius, The Scorpion, is lost in the glow of the Sun for most of the month and will pass between the Earth and the Sun, or be in “Inferior Conjunction” on November 20.

He will reach his closest point to the Sun, or Perihelion on November 23.

At months end he will become visible in the dawn sky, rising at 4:58 AM, CST,1 hour and 33 minutes before the Sun and reach an altitude of 11° above the south-eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 6:04 AM CST,

Venus, magnitude –3.9, in Libra, The Scales, is visible in the dawn sky.

At the first of the month, she will become visible rising at 5:44 AM CDT, 1 hour and 19 minutes before the Sun and reaches an altitude of 12° above the eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 6:47 AM CDT.

Remembering that time changes back to Standard Time on November the 2nd, she becomes visible an hour earlier after the 2nd and by the 15th will become visible rising at 5:13 AM CST, 1 hour and 3 minutes before the Sun and reach an altitude of 8° low above the eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 6:00 AM CST.

She will sink into the glow of the Sun on the 17th and will be unobservable.

Earth and her Moon, magnitude -4.0, as viewed from the Sun, is in Taurus, The Bull.

Mars, with his moons Phobos and Deimos, magnitude +1.4, in Ophiuchus, The Serpent Bearer, is lost in the glow of the Sun.

Dwarf Planet Ceres shines at magnitude +7.7 in Cetus, The Sea Monster.

Jupiter, and his 97 moons and (invisible from Earth) ring, magnitude -2.3, is in Gemini, The Twins, dominates the early morning sky.

At the beginning of the month, Jupiter becomes accessible around 11:31 PM CDT, when he reaches an altitude of 7° above the eastern horizon. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 5:49 AM CDT, 77° above southern horizon. He will be lost to dawn twilight around 6:47 AM CDT, 72° above the south-western horizon.

At mid-month he will become accessible around 9:37 PM CST, when he reaches an altitude of 7° above eastern horizon. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 3:55 AM CST, 77° above the southern horizon. He will be lost to dawn twilight around 6:00 AM CST, 59° above the western horizon.

Jupiter will enter retrograde motion, halting its usual eastward movement through the constellations, and turning to move westwards instead on November 11.

This apparent reversal of direction against the night sky is caused by a phenomenon that all the outer planets periodically undergo, a few months before they reach opposition, or the point exactly opposite from the Sun.

This retrograde motion is caused by the Earth’s own motion around the Sun. As the Earth circles the Sun, our view or perspective changes, and this causes the apparent positions of objects to move from side to side in the sky during a one year period. This nodding motion is super imposed on the planet’s long-term eastward motion through the constellations, causing them to appear to be moving backwards in their orbits.

A terrestrial example would be passing a car on the highway. Both are moving forward, but the car you are passing looks as if it were going backwards as you look at it through the side window.

By month’s end he will become accessible around 8:31 PM CST, when he reaches an altitude of 7° above the eastern horizon. He will then reach its highest point in the sky at 2:49 AM CST, 77° above the southern horizon. He will be lost to dawn twilight around 6:14 AM CST, 43° above the western horizon.

Saturn, magnitude +0.8, and his 274 moons and extensive debris ring system, is in Aquarius, The Water Bearer, is an evening object.

At the beginning of the month, he becomes accessible around 6:27 PM CDT, 29° above the south-eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 9:47 PM, 52° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 1:41 AM CDT, when he sinks below 11° above the western horizon.

At midmonth he becomes accessible around 5:18 PM CST, 37° above the south-eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 7:50 PM CST, 52° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 12:43 AM CST, when he sinks below 11° above the western horizon.

Saturn ends retrograde motion on November 27.

At months end he becomes accessible around 5:14 PM CST, 46° above the south-eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 6:47 PM CST, 52° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 11:39 PM CST, when he sinks below 11° above the western horizon.

Uranus, magnitude +5.6, and his 29 moons and ring, in Aquarius, The Water Bearer, is a morning object. Uranus is an object that is barely visible to an unaided eye in dark skies, but, is accessible via binoculars and telescopes.

At the beginning of the month, he will become accessible around 8:46 PM CDT, when he reaches an altitude of 21° above the eastern horizon. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 1:55 AM CDT, 76° above the southern horizon. He will be lost to dawn twilight around 6:03 AM CDT, 33° above the western horizon.

By midmonth he will become accessible at around 6:45 PM CST, when he rises to an altitude of 21° above the eastern horizon. He will reach his highest point in the sky at 11:53 PM CST, 76° above the southern horizon. He will become inaccessible at around 5:02 AM CST when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

Uranus will be opposite the sky from the Sun, at “Opposition” at 6:17 AM on November 21.

At month’s end he becomes accessible around 5:41 PM CST, 21° above the eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 10:48 PM CST, 76° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 3:56 AM CST, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

Neptune, magnitude 7.7, and his 16 moons and ring, in Pisces, The Fish, is an early evening object.
Neptune is only visible using a telescope.

At the first of the month, he becomes accessible around 6:54 PM CDT, 33° above the south-eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 10:00 PM CDT, 54° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 1:09 AM CDT, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

At midmonth he will become accessible around 5:45 PM CST, 41° above the south-eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 8:04 PM CST, 54° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 12:13 AM CST, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

At the end of the month, he becomes accessible around 5:41 PM CDT, 50° above the south-eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 7:01 PM CST, 54° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 11:09 PM CST, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

Pluto, the largest Dwarf Planet, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.5 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 +18.6 in Cetus the Sea Monster.

At least seven 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 near Pegasus, The Winged Horse.

50000 Quaoar, his two rings and his moon Waywot shines at magnitude +18.6 in Orion, The Hunter.

90377 Sedna, the coldest, and at one time, the most distant known place in the Solar System, glows faintly at magnitude +20.8 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 Pegasus, The Winged Horse.

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 Hydra, The Sea Serpent. 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.

“Dwarf Planet Candidate” 2017 OF201, magnitude 23.2 is in the constellation Triangulum, the Triangle.

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.

FarFarOut is currently 12,322,681,900 miles or in Light Time, 18 hours, 22 minutes and 30 seconds from Earth.

The most distant man-made object, Voyager 1, still operating after 48 years, 1 month and 11 days is 15,713,693,976 miles, or in Light Time, 23 hours, 25 minutes 54 Seconds from Earth as of 3:39 PM CDT, October 16, 2025, sailing 38,027 miles per hour through Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer.

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

Apophis, magnitude +20.9, in Virgo, The Virgin, is 177,910,967 miles or 1276 days from the Earth as of 3:44 PM CDT, October 16, 2025.

Asteroid 2024 YR4, which will pass though the Earth – Moon system on Wednesday, December 22, 2032, dimly glows at magnitude +29.8, in Virgo, The Virgin. It currently is 391,749,802 miles or 2729 days from the Earth as of 3:50 PM CDT, October 16 2025.

There are 1,469,893 known asteroids and 4,036 comets as of October 16, 2025, per NASA/JPL Solar Dynamics Website.

6,028 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of October 9, 2025 per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive.

Daylight Savings Time ends at 2 AM November 2. Make sure to replace your smoke alarm batteries and if you have a battery backup on your NOAA Weather radio, replace those batteries also.

The Southern Taurids Meteor Shower will occur November 4 & 5. The Taurid Meteor shower is an unusual shower in that it consists of two streams – the Southern and Northern Taurids. The first, the Southern Taurids, is produced by dust grains left behind by Asteroid 2004 TG10.

This is a minor shower, producing only 5 to 10 meteors per hour.

Unfortunately, the glare from the Full Moon will hide most of the meteors this year. If you are very patient, you may still be able to catch a few bright ones. Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Taurus, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

Full Moon will occur November 5. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 8:21 AM CST or 13:21 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Beaver Moon because this was the time of year to set the beaver traps before the swamps and rivers froze. It has also been known as the Frosty Moon and the Dark Moon.

This is the second of three Supermoons for 2025. The Moon will be near its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual.

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

The Moon will be at Perigee or her closest approach to Earth on November 5, when she will be 221,725 miles from Earth

Last Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Eastern side illuminated, will occur November 11 at 11:29 PM CST or 05:29 UTC.

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

The Northern Taurid Meteor Shower, the second of the two Taurid streams, will occur November 11 & 12. The Northern Taurids is a long-running minor meteor shower producing only about 5-10 meteors per hour. This shower is, however, famous for producing a higher than normal percentage of bright fireballs. The second stream is produced by debris left behind by Comet 2P Encke.

The shower runs annually from September 7 to December 10. It peaks this year on the night of the 11th and morning of the 12th.

The Last Quarter Moon will wash out the dimmer meteors, but it is still worth the effort to see, The meteors will appear to originate from the Constellation Taurus, but could appear anywhere in the sky.

Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Taurus but can appear anywhere in the sky.

The annual Leonid meteor shower occurs from November 6 – 30 and peaks on the night of November 17 & the morning of the 18th. Though the Leonids are an “average shower”, producing only an average of 15 meteors per hour, they are well known for producing bright meteors and fireballs.

This shower is also unique in that it has a cyclonic peak about every 33 years where hundreds of meteors per hour can be seen. That last of these occurred in 2001 and the next should occur in 2034. The Leonids are produced by dust grains left behind by Comet Tempel-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1865.

The thin, crescent moon won’t be much of a problem and skies will be dark enough for what should be an great show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Leo, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

New Moon will occur at 12:49 AM CST or 6:49 UTC on November 20. 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.

This New Moon occurs near Apogee, or the Moon’s farthest point from the Earth, so this will be a Micromoon. A Micromoon is the opposite of a Supermoon. Where a Supermoon appears slightly larger than normal, a Micromoon, if it were visible, would appear smaller.

The Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on November 23, when she will be 252,707 miles from Earth.

First Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Western side illuminated, will occur November 28 at 12:59 AM CST or 18:59 UTC.

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

Two good basic interactive star charts may be found at https://skyandtelescope.org/interactive-sky-chart/ & Charts of the Night Sky – In-The-Sky.org

For Smartphones, Star Walk 2 is my flavor of choice.

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This month’s meeting will be on November 11 at 7 PM at the NWS Forecast Office in Calera.

Hope to see you there!
Mark / WD4NYL
Editor / ALERT Newsletter