ALERT NEWSLETTER – November 2026

Hi everyone,

 

I hope this finds you well as we enjoy the calm, dry weather of the Fall Season.

 

While enjoy the peaceful weather, we must remember that November is the beginning of the

Fall tornado season and that 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 when 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 aware 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.

 

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 can 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.  Which can be said of a wide variety of social media postings and subjects. Which is why the “check it out before you put it out (or believe it)” rule should be taught, but sadly apparently isn’t.  

 

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 you not hear them even though they are sounding.

 

And, don’t allow yourself to become complacent or distracted.  Always be “situationally aware”, whether it’s weatherwise or just the world around you, for we live in perilous times.

 

On that cheerful note, let’s hope for a calm Fall as we look forward to Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season.

 

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The Naming Of Hurricanes

 

Recently we were greeted by Hurricane Isaias, a storm whose name was initially confusing, as it had a Spanish pronunciation, rather than English.  

 

Have you ever wondered how these storms get their names?

 

You can’t credit or blame the National Hurricane Center, as they do not pick the hurricane names, for the names are created by the World Meteorological Organization or WMO, and the names repeat every six years.  

 

For example, I was greeted by Hurricane Danny in 1985 and 1997, which then returned in 2015 to threatened the Leeward Islands before dissipating. The 2021 version, Tropical Storm Danny, visited South Carolina in 2021 and a repeat appearance is scheduled somewhere in 2027.

 

The most deadly and damaging storms have their names retired and are replaced by alternate names.  From 1953 to Hurricane Melissa in 2025, 100 names have been retired, with “I” storms leading the pack, with 13 retirees, followed by 10 “F” storms and 9 “C” storms.

 

Sometimes names are changed for no apparent reason, for instance Fern was replaced by Frieda in 1966. Hurricane Babe, which visited Louisiana in 1977, disappeared from the lists, though she technically was not retired, but was got bumped to make room for Barry, as they began using male names.  Babe is still available for use, and maybe someday she will return to the rotation.

 

The practice of giving active storms names (as opposed to naming them post mortem based on the destruction they caused, such as the Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900 or the Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935), began during World War 2, when forecasters had to track more than one hurricane or typhoon at once. They had to tell which storm was which, so military forecasters in the Pacific Theatre began naming storms after their wives and girlfriends.

 

The military formalized the practice in 1945 and began using female names for the northern Hemisphere and male names for the southern hemisphere.  Attempts were made to have what was known then as the US Weather Bureau to adopt the practice, but they wanted to be seen as a serious enterprise and felt that it was “not appropriate” to name tropical cyclones while warning the United States public.

 

In internal communications the US Air Force used the old Joint Army / Navy Phonetic Alphabet when discussing severe North Atlantic storms, but the named were not used publicly until 1950, when there were three simultaneous hurricanes occurring, so hurricanes “Baker”, “Dog” and “Easy” were used.

 

A new phonetic Alphabet was introduced in 1953, so female names were adopted to avoid confusion, and a new list was compiled for the next year, and then a four year rotating list was developed in 1960.  In 1978 it was decided the World Meteorological Organization would control the names used and the rotating system of six sets of names that we use today was introduced, with male names added in 1979.

 

Some of the criterion used by the WMO are: “English, French and Spanish names are used in balance on the list in order to reflect the geographical coverage of Atlantic and Caribbean storms”… “The list is also gender balanced and respectful of societal sensitivities.”

 

The list consists of 21 storm names in the Atlantic basin. Per the WMO the “list of hurricane names covers only 21 letters of the alphabet as it is difficult to find six suitable names (one for each of the 6 rotating lists) starting with Q, U, X, Y and Z.”

 

In the event that there were so many storms that the list was exhausted, they were to revert to the Greek Alphabet, as was the case in 2005 and 2020.

 

Two problems resulted from using the Greek Alphabet.  One, is it was confusing to some, as you had Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc, and people unaware of the Greek Alphabets structure wondered “what happened to the ‘C’ storm?” Not realizing that “C” isn’t the third letter of the Greek Alphabet.  

 

Compounding the problem is the fact that some Greek letters sound similar. Then, storms Eta and Iona were so severe that their names were retired, so now there were letters missing from the Greek Alphabet.

 

To cure this problem a new Supplemental List was created in 2021, which consists of: Adria, Braylen, Caridad, Deshawn, Emery, Foster, Gemma, Heath, Isla, Jacobus, Kenzie, Lucio, Makayla, Nolan, Orlanda, Pax, Ronin, Sophie, Tayshaun, Viviana and Will.

 

The Atlantic, Eastern Pacific and Central Pacific, Western Pacific and Indian Oceans all have their own “official” lists.  Occasionally some countries will have their own names for storms already bearing “international” names, such as Super Typhoon Herb, which was also Super Typhoon Huaning, which visited the Philippines in 1996.

 

With the South Atlantic there is no “official” WMO list, as the storms are so rare. In fact, at one time it was believed that tropical systems could not develop in the South Atlantic, due to wind shear, cooler sea surface temperatures, the lack of systems or tropical waves to seed the storms, as the North Atlantic has, and since the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone only drops one to two degrees south of the equator, it was not far enough from the equator for the spin of the Coriolis force to aid development. Then in 2004 Hurricane Catarina formed proving everyone wrong.

 

After looking at past data, and adding it to the recent events, there have been 88 recorded tropical and subtropical cyclones in the South Atlantic Ocean since from 1957 – 2026.

 

Since 2011 the Brazilian Navy Hydrographic Center assigns names to tropical and subtropical systems in the western South Atlantic, near Brazil’s eastern coast, when sustained winds reach at least 40 MPH.

 

Another area where Tropical Cyclones are not supposed to develop is the Mediterranean Sea. 

 

However, there have been over 100 instances, in fact, from 1947 to 2023, where warm core tropical like systems have formed, some including eye-like features, which some refer to as “Medicanes”.

 

One of the first “officially recognized” Mediterranean Tropical Cyclones was 2011’s Tropical Storm Rolf, a storm which NOAA named Tropical Storm 01M and was then dubbed “Rolf” by the Free University of Berlin.  The most notable recent Medicane was Daniel, named by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service, which caused catastrophic flooding in Libya in 2023.

 

These storms can occur year-round, with activity historically peaking between the months of September and January, while the counts for the summer months of June and July are the lowest, being within the peak dry season of the Mediterranean with stable air.

 

Medicanes can last from 12 hours to 5 days and have 89 MPH maximum sustained winds, are perhaps the type storm that caused St. Paul’s shipwreck as described in Acts 27:10-44.

 

 

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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 2025 there have been 282 November tornadoes in Alabama resulting in 52 fatalities and 1069 injuries.  Alabama’s third largest tornado outbreak occurred on November 24 – 25, 2001 when 34 tornadoes occurred, and 20 tornadoes occurred during the outbreak of November 23 – 24, 2004, which ties the March 30, 2022 outbreak for seventh place.

 

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 the third most active month for tornadoes over a 76 year period, and if you look back to the earliest records, from 1794 to 2025, November is the fourth most active month, following April, March and May as the leading months.  From 1794 to 2005 there have been 318 November tornadoes, which is just 29 tornadoes shy of May’s current ranking of third place.

 

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, each month having experienced over 200 tornadoes from 1794 to 2005.

 

2026 Preliminary Tornado Statistics from January 1 to July 29, 2026:

 

1.    Illinois             221

2.    Indiana 89

3.    Mississippi 87

4.    Missouri                  83

5.    Iowa           71

6.    Kansas 62

7.    Texas 58

8.    Wisconsin 51

9.    Oklahoma               50   

10.  Louisiana 47

11.  Alabama 46

12.  Nebraska                 43

13.  Kentucky                 37

14.  Pennsylvania          34

15.  Colorado                 30

 

Oddly, the “traditional” Tornado Alley states of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas which normally top the lists lagged behind, especially Texas, as the focus of tornadic activity shifted to Indiana and Illinois.

 

One theory for the flip flop of activity is that the jet stream dipped unusually low over the Mountain States, which moved the storm tracks northward over the Midwest, and this combined with persistent high pressure over the Gulf States allowed warm and humid air to advance into the Midwest enhancing storm activity, while suppressing activity over the Southeast.  Additionally, the drought in the western US sent warm air aloft across Texas and Oklahoma, which has helped to limit the overall severe weather across the South. April, which is normally is Alabama’s most active month, was tornado free in 2026.

 

Looking at the Tropics, with the exception of Hurricane Isaias, 2026 has been very quiet.

 

In November 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 – 2025 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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

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 41.9 degrees at the beginning of the month to 34.8 degrees at the month’s end.  Daylight decreases from 10 hours 49 minutes on November 1 to 10 hours 07 minutes on November 30.

 

Sunrise and sunset times for Birmingham are:

 

November 1 Sunrise 6:06 AM   Sunset 4:55 PM

November 15 Sunrise 6:19 AM   Sunset 4:44 PM 

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 -0.1, in Virgo, The Virgin, is hidden in the glow of the Sun during the first half of the month.  

 

Mercury will pass between the Sun and the Earth or be in Inferior Conjunction on November 4.

 

He will reach his closest distance from the Sun in his 88 day orbit, or Perihelion, on November 10.

 

At midmonth he will emerge in the morning sky and will become visible rising at 4:48 AM CST – 1 hour and 28 minutes before the Sun – reaching an altitude of 11° above the eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 5:50 AM CST.

 

Mercury will reach his highest altitude above the horizon and greatest separation from the Sun in its or Greatest Western Elongation, on November 20. He will be shining brightly at magnitude -0.6, hovering 14° above the horizon.

 

This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. Look for the planet low in the eastern sky just before sunrise.

 

 

At month’s end he becomes visible rising at 5:05 AM CST – 1 hour and 24 minutes before the Sun – and reaching an altitude of 11° above the south-eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 6:09 AM CST.

 

Venus, magnitude -4.8, in Virgo, The Virgin, is emerging into the predawn sky.

 

At the first of the month, she will become visible rising at 5:01 AM CST, 1 hour and 3 minutes before the Sun and reaches an altitude of 8° above the south-eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 5:48 AM CST.

 

The Moon will pass 1.1° South of Venus on November 7.    

 

At midmonth she becomes visible rising at 3:53 AM CST – 2 hours and 23 minutes before the Sun – and reaching an altitude of 23° above the south-eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 5:59 AM CST.

 

At months end she becomes visible in the dawn sky, rising at 3:14 AM CDT – 3 hours and 15 minutes before the Sun – and reaching an altitude of 32° above the south-eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 6:13 AM CST.

 

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 +0.7, in Leo, the Lion, is an early morning object.

 

At the beginning of the month, he becomes visible, rising at 12:39 AM CST and reaching an altitude of 68° above the south-eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 5:29 AM CST.

 

The Moon will pass 1.1° South of Mars on November 2.    

 

At midmonth he becomes visible, rising at 11:17 PM CST and reaching an altitude of 70° above the southern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 5:42 AM CST.

 

At months end he becomes accessible around 10:44 PM CST when he reaches an altitude of 10° above the eastern horizon. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 5:26 AM CST, 69° above the southern horizon. He will be lost to dawn twilight around 5:57 AM CST, 68° above the southern horizon.

 

Dwarf Planet Ceres shines at magnitude +8.5 in Gemini, The Twins.

 

Jupiter, and his 97 moons and (invisible from Earth) ring, magnitude -2.9, is in Leo, The Lion, 

dominates the early morning sky.

 

At the beginning of the month, Jupiter becomes visible in the dawn sky, rising at 1:08 AM CST and reaching an altitude of 66° above the south-eastern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 5:47 AM CST.

 

The Moon will pass 0.5° South of Jupiter on November 2.    

 

At mid-month he will become visible in the dawn sky, rising at 11:20 PM CST and reaching an altitude of 70° above the southern horizon before fading from view as dawn breaks at around 5:59 AM CST.

 

By month’s end he will become accessible around 11:08, PM CST when he reaches an altitude of 7° above the eastern horizon. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 5:05 AM CST, 69° above the southern horizon. He will be lost to dawn twilight around 6:13 AM CST, 64° above the south-western horizon.

 

Saturn, magnitude +0.5, and his 274 moons and extensive debris ring system, is in Cetus, The Sea Serpent, is an evening object.  

 

At the beginning of the month, he becomes accessible around 5:24 PM CST, 22° above the eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 9:38 PM CST, 57° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 2:49 AM CST, when he sinks below 10° above the western horizon.

 

At midmonth he becomes accessible around 5:14 PM CST, 31° above the eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 08:40 PM CST, 57° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 1:50 AM CST, when he sinks below 10° above the western horizon.

 

At months end he becomes accessible around 5:10 PM CST, 42° above the south-eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 7:39 PM CST, 57° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 12:48 AM CST, when he sinks below 10° above your western horizon.

 

Uranus, magnitude +5.6, and his 29 moons and ring, in Taurus, The Bull, is a evening object.  

 

Despite what online blurbs and posts may say, Uranus is an object that is barely visible to an unaided eye in DARK skies. That said, if you know where to look, he is accessible via binoculars and telescopes.  But, he is not a causally observable object, as is Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, etc.

 

At the beginning of the month, he will become accessible around 9:03 PM CST, when he reaches an altitude of 21° above the eastern horizon. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 1:14 AM CST, 77° above the southern horizon. He will be lost to dawn twilight around 5:03 AM CST, 38° above the western horizon.

 

By midmonth he will become accessible around 7:06 PM CST, when he reaches an altitude of 21° above the eastern horizon. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 12:16 AM CST, 77° above the southern horizon. He will be lost to dawn twilight around 5:14 AM CST, 23° above the western horizon.

 

Uranus will be opposite the sky from the Sun, and his closest approach to Earth at “Opposition” at 4:33 PM CST on November 25.

 

He will be brighter than any other time of the year and will be visible all night long. This is the best time to view Uranus. However, due to his distance, he will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

 

At month’s end he becomes accessible around 6:00 PM CST, when he rises to an altitude of 21° above the eastern horizon. He will reach his highest point in the sky at 11:11 PM CST, 77° above the southern horizon. He will become inaccessible around 4:21 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 under dark skies, using a good star chart.

 

At the first of the month, he becomes accessible around 5:54 PM CST, 32° above the south-eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 9:10 PM CST, 55° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 1:21 AM CST, 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 8:14 PM CST, 55° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 12:25 AM CST, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

 

 

At the end of the month, he becomes accessible around 5:41 PM CST, 49° above the south-eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. He will then reach his highest point in the sky at 7:14 PM CST, 55° above the southern horizon. He will continue to be observable until around 11:25 PM CST, when he sinks below 21° above the western horizon.

 

Pluto, the largest Dwarf Planet, with his five moons shines at a dim 14.6 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 +18.6 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 Orion, The Hunter.

 

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

 

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.

 

25088 Gonggong, the third largest Dwarf Planet, originally nicknamed Snow White by the discovery team, and his moon Xiangli glows dimly at +21.4 magnitude in Andromeda, The Chained Maiden.

 

2014 UZ224 nicknamed “DeeDee” for “Distant Dwarf” is 8.5 billion miles from the Sun, at magnitude +22.9 in Eridanus, The River.

 

120347 Salacia, and her moon Actaea glows at magnitude 20.7 in Libra, The Scales. 

 

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 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 12,325,876,865 miles or in Light Time, 18 hours, 22 minutes and 47 seconds from Earth.

 

The most distant man-made object, Voyager 1, still operating after 49 years 1 month and 7 days is 16,9032,247,468 miles or in Light Time, 23 hours, 54 minutes, 24 seconds from Earth as of 3:07 PM CDT, October 12, 2026, sailing 37,844 miles per hour through Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer.

 

On November 18, 2026 at 10:16:07 UTC or 4:16:07 AM CST, Voyager 1 will become the spacecraft to reach one light-day from Earth – 16,094,799,096 miles, the distance light covers in 24 hours.

 

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 Libra, The Scales, is 139,758,035 miles or 915 days from the Earth as of 3:11 PM CDT, October 12, 2026.

 

There are 1,573,266 known asteroids and 4,080 comets as of October 12, 2026 per NASA/JPL Solar Dynamics Website.

 

6,445 planets beyond our solar system have now been confirmed as of October 8, 2026 per NASA’s Exoplanet Archive.

 

Daylight Savings Time ends at 2 AM November 1.  Make sure to replace your smoke alarm batteries and if you have a battery backup on your NOAA Weather radio, replace those batteries also.

 

Last Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Eastern side illuminated, will occur November 1 at 2:30 PM CST or 20:30 UTC.

 

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

 

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.

 

The waning crescent moon should not be too much of a problem this year. Skies should still be dark enough for a good show. 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.

 

New Moon will occur at 1:03 AM CST or 7:03 UTC on November 9. 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.

 

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 sliver of a crescent Moon in the west will not interfere with this shower, so observing should be near prime.

 

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 Moon will be at Apogee or its farthest distance from Earth on November 23, when she will be 252,040 miles from Earth.

 

First Quarter Moon, or when the moon has only the Western side illuminated, will occur November 17 at 5:48 AM CST or 11:48 UTC.

 

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

 

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 waxing gibbous moon will block some of the fainter meteors in the early evening. But it will set shortly after midnight leaving dark skies for what should be an excellent early morning 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.

 

Full Moon will occur November 24. 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 8:55 AM CST or 14:55 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 25, when she will be 223,288 miles from Earth.

 

Have you ever seen another galaxy?  

 

November is the best month of the year to seek out M31, the Andromeda Galaxy

 

From Birmingham, M31 will be visible all night through most of November, rising in the east before sunset, transiting nearly overhead around 7 to 9 PM, and setting in the east after midnight.  

 

This will place the galaxy at its highest position, near zenith, in the clearest portion of the sky.  

 

Adding to our advantages is November’s weather, as November has long nights and usually stable air.  And, since we will have a New Moon on the 9th, Moonlight will not interfere with visibility, so the week before and after and the night of the New Moon will be the best time of the month to spy out the Milky Way’s big sister.

 

If you are able to drive an hour or two to the Northwest to avoid the skyglow of Birmingham, you probably be able to spot M31 with the naked eye, as a small rice shaped smudge among the stars.  

 

But, if you are locked in a sea of streetlamps as I am, don’t lose heart, as M31 is visible using binoculars or a small telescope.  Larger telescopes will reveal its spiral structure and its companion galaxies M32 & M110.

 

To find M31, facing north look overhead and find a large square of stars, which is the Great Square of Pegasus, which is larger than the Big Dipper. From the bright star forming the lower right corner of the square there are two “arms” extending downward to the lower left.

 

Find the second star of the upper arm, go north to the second star of the lower arm, and then go the same distance and direction from that star and you will find a hazy rice shaped object.  This is M31.  The closest major galaxy to the Milky Way, and the largest galaxy in our little neighborhood, of which the Milky Way and the Triangulum galaxy rank second and third.

 

And if you want another challenge?  Go in the opposite direction – lower star, to upper star and roughly the same distance beyond.  If you are lucky and the sky behaves, you may be able spy out the Milky Way’s little sister, M33, the Triangulum Galaxy.

 

The Andromeda Galaxy has a unique place in history.  

 

In 1774 French astronomer Charles Messier, who specialized in finding comets, published a list of deep sky objects that might be confused for comets, Catalogue des Nébuleuses et des Amas d’Étoiles (Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters).  

 

The brightish smudge in Andromeda, he labeled M31, which became known as The Andromeda Nebula.

 

From that time to the early 20th century all of these objects were considered park of the Milky Way, as the Milky Way was “the galaxy or “the universe”.  No other galaxies were known to exist.

 

As improvements in telescope design progressed, the spiral nature of these objects revealed themselves.  What the astronomers were seeing was still uncertain.  One theory was that they were other solar systems in the process of formation.

 

Then astrophotography improved to the point that astronomers realized that the Andromeda Nebula was composed of millions and millions of stars.  

 

Theories began to change in 1917 when based on the dimness of a nova observed in Andromeda, as compared to other Milky Way novae, the theory was proposed that Andromeda was actually located outside of the Milky Way.  The term “island universe”, as textbooks called them, began to be used.  This sparked major debates until Edwin Hubble, whom the space telescope is named for, determined the true distance of the Andromeda Galaxy.

 

Andromeda, the Milky Way and The Triangulum Galaxy are the prime galaxies in a galaxy cluster that has been given then awe inspiring name “The Local Group” of galaxies, of which there are over 54 members.  

 

As knowledge increased it was found that the Local Group is in turn, one of over 100 galaxy clusters that make up the Virgo Supercluster of galaxies. The Virgo Supercluster in turn is just one 10 million galaxy superclusters, and is in turn part of the even larger Laniakea Supercluster, which has the Hercules, Shapley, Coma and Perseus-Pisces Superclusters as neighbors, which in turn may be part of even a larger structure not yet identified.  

 

These superclusters of superclusters stretch across the cosmos in streams like wisps of smoke, with vast voids in between, giving the Universe a structure like a tangled spider’s web, or bath bubbles, with the bubbles surface being made up of countless galaxies.

 

And, who knows what may lie beyond the limits of our detectability and comprehension?

 

 

 

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Ham News

 

WelI my signal made it to Hell’s Gates…

 

Hell’s Gates State Park in Lewiston Idaho that is, on 40 Meter CW.

 

The most success I have had this month has been on 40 & 20 Meters, though the upper HF bands are hinting at opening up, and opened nicely for the CQ Worldwide DX Contest – SSB version.

 

During the contest I had good success on 10 Meters, but except for Japan, not that much on 15, which seemed odd, as I have reached some of my rarest DX on 15 Meters, even when the band was iffy.  

 

I worked a couple of ATNOs – All Time New Ones, one being Saint Martin.  Saint Martin is not to be confused with Sint Maartin, though it is the same island. The northern half is governed by France and the southern half by the Netherlands, as has been the case since 1648.

 

It was fun, and I’m already looking forward to the next contests.  

 

November contests and events of note are: 

 

November 1     North American SSB Sprint

UK/EI DX Contest SSB

 

November 7 ARRL Sweepstakes – CW

 

November 14   JIDX Contest – Japan – SSB

SKCC Weekend Sprintathon  

 

November 21 South American Integration Contest – CW 

             ARRL Sweepstakes – SSB 

 

November 28 CQ Worldwide DX Contest – CW  

 

The ARRL Sweepstakes are for US and Canadian operators, and is great way to get stations for a Worked All States or Worked All Provinces Award.  While the CQ Worldwide DX Contest is good for seeking stations for a DXCC Award, or just the fun of seeing how far your signal can reach.

 

For more details and for a more comprehensive list go to WA7BNM Contest Calendar: WA7BNM Contest Calendar: Home  

 

Incidentally, as of noon today, October 27, 2026, I have 100 countries confirmed via the ARRL Logbook of The World and qualify for the ARRL DXCC award.  I also have physical QSL cards from Dominica, Israel, Moldova, and islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, which  makes 104 countries confirmed by ARRL standards.  

 

Also, though they don’t currently count by ARRL standards, I also have Western Sahara confirmed on Club Log, a method which many DX stations prefer, and South Africa confirmed on QRZ.  So, that’s 106 countries confirmed by one method or another, all via CW & SSB, which is a nifty achievement.

 

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This month’s meeting will be on November 10.  Look for Russell’s email notification!

 

Mark 

WD4NYL

Editor

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