The Skies

Sun and Moon Data

To find sun and moon rising and setting times for your park or office, go to the U.S. Naval Observatory’s Complete Sun and Moon Data for One Day webpage.

Night Skies

An update on the moon, planets and other celestial bodies for the week of September 25th through October 2nd, extracted from a weekly summary prepared by the U.S. Naval Observatory:

• Moon – The moon brightens the evening sky this week. It will be full tomorrow. Since this full moon occurs closes to the autumnal equinox, it is almost universally known as the Harvest Moon.
• Mars – Mars is the only planet that is still relatively easy to find in the early evening sky. It’s between Libra and Scorpius and not far from Antares.
• Jupiter – Jupiter rises shortly after 10 p.m.

For more information on stars, planets and other night sky phenomena, go to “The Sky This Week” page at the U.S. Naval Observatory page at http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/tours-events/sky-this-week

The Weather

Rain, occasionally heavy, will fall throughout much of the Northeast and on the southern Great Plains.

Watches and Warnings

The principal watches and warnings posted as of early this morning were as follows. Note that these change over the course of a day and represent only initial daily forecasts. Click on this link for a full-sized map showing these hazards:

• Red flag warnings – None.
• Flood and flashflood watches, warnings and advisories – Much of Texas.

For additional information on severe weather, go to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center at http://www.spc.noaa.gov/ .

Tropical Cyclones

Today’s reports from the National Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (western Pacific):

• Tropical Storm Nadine – Nadine continues to churn in the central Atlantic, well away from mainland areas but approaching the Azores. The current track has it moving northward toward those islands.

For additional information on Atlantic and eastern Pacific tropical cyclones, go to the National Hurricane Center web page at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/. For information on western Pacific tropical cyclones, go to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center at http://www.usno.navy.mil/JTWC/.

This Day in NPS History

In The Parks

On September 28, 1542, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese explorer in the service of Spain, landed in a harbor he named San Miguel, the site of modern San Diego.  Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego commemorates his voyage of discovery. Click here for other park anniversary dates.

In Memoriam

There were no NPS line of duty deaths on this date. Click here for a full list of on-duty deaths.

From The Morning Report Archives

The 25th anniversary of the National Park Service Morning Report is being commemorated with the reprinting of incidents from the Morning Report archives:

Blue Ridge Parkway – A man was driving on the parkway just south of the Rockfish Gap entrance just before midnight on May 27, 1988, when a vehicle approached his car from the rear and rammed it three times. The ramming vehicle then swerved to the left across oncoming traffic and went off the road and down a steep bank. The operator of the wrecked vehicle got out and ran into the woods, away from the parkway. Another man driving on the parkway stopped to assist, leaving his girlfriend in the car. The operator of the wrecked vehicle then came out of the woods, jumped into that car, and took off at a high rate of speed. The woman he’d kidnapped attempted to pull the keys from the ignition and screamed for help; her abductor pushed her back into her seat and told her to shut up or he’d kill her. After a few more miles, he let her out, and she called police on a pay phone. A multi-agency investigation ensued that led to the arrest of a 24-year-old man from Mint Springs, Virginia. He was charged with abduction and theft of a motor vehicle; numerous misdemeanor charges were also pending at the time of the report.

Contact Information
Name: Bill Halainen, Editor