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 night skies for the month of November, updated weekly.

The visible planets this week:

• Mars – Mars is visible in the early evening near the southwestern horizon.
• Jupiter – Jupiter rises in the northeast as Mars sets in the southwest. It’s not visible until late evening, rising with the bright star Aldebaran.
• Venus – Venus continues to be visible in the pre-dawn sky.

Calendar of upcoming celestial events for November:

• Thursday, 11/15 – Venus passes four degrees north of the bright star Spica.
• Friday, 11/16 – The moon passes four degrees north of Mars.
• Saturday, 11/17 – The Leonid meteor shower is at its peak tonight. Astronomers expect the shower to produce 15 to 20 meteors per hours shortly before dawn.
• Monday, 11/26 – Venus will pass very close by Saturn at midnight.
• Wednesday, 11/28 – The moon is full. It will pass close by Jupiter in the evening sky.

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

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:

• Winter storm watches, warnings and advisories – Southwest Montana and northwest Wyoming.

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

This Day in NPS History

In The Parks

On November 14, 1493, on Christopher Columbus's second voyage to the New World, members of his expedition landed on St. Croix Island in the Virgin Islands and battled a small group of Indians.  Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve includes the landing site, the only place under U.S. jurisdiction where Columbus's men are known to have set foot.

Click here for other park anniversary dates.

In Memoriam

On November 14, 1962, James Roosevelt, 54, a tractor operator for National Capital Parks, was struck and killed by a car while painting a sign on a road shoulder. Click here for a full list of on-duty deaths.

From The Morning Report Archives

Today’s incident from the Morning Report archives:

Presidents Park – On August 5, 1988, a Park Police officer attempted to stop a car that had been racing back and forth in front of the White House, but the car rammed his cruiser and sped away. He pursued, but was involved in a minor accident during the chase and was unable to continue. Shortly thereafter, the suspect vehicle was spotted on Route 66 by another Park Police officer. He followed it to Manassas, where he was able to stop it and confront the three occupants. While doing so, the driver attempted to run him down. The officer fired three shots at it, but without evident effect. He was not injured. All three of the vehicle’s occupants fled; at the time of the report, an investigation was underway.

Contact Information
Name: Bill Halainen, Editor