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 late November and all of December.

Visible planets during the period:

• Mars – Mars is visible in the early evening near the southwestern horizon.
• Jupiter – Jupiter rises just after sunset and is bright above the eastern horizon soon thereafter.
• Venus – Venus continues to be visible in the pre-dawn southeastern sky.
• Saturn – Saturn is also visible in the early morning sky, rising about a half hour before Venus.
• Mercury – Mercury rises about 40 minutes after Venus.

Calendar of upcoming celestial events:

• Sunday, 12/2 – Jupiter is at its brightest this year.
• Thursday, 12/6 – Last quarter moon.
• Sunday, 12/9 – Venus and Mercury are just a few degrees apart.
• Tuesday, 12/11 – The moon passes close by Venus and Mercury in the morning sky, with Saturn just above the trio.
• Thursday, 12/13 – The moon is new (dark). The Geminid meteor shower is at its peak.
• Friday, 12/14 – The crescent moon is just to the right of Mars.
• Thursday, 12/20 – The moon is at first quarter.
• Friday, 12/21 – Winter solstice occurs just after 6 a.m. EST.
• Friday, 12/28 – The moon is full.

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 – The northern Sierra Nevadas in California, eastern Idaho and southwestern Montana, northern Michigan.
• Flood watches, warnings and advisories – Central and northern California, southwestern Oregon.
• Coastal flood advisories – Areas around Puget Sound.
• High wind watches, warnings and advisories – Northern California, southern Oregon, western Nevada, western Montana, southwestern Wyoming.

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

Today’s NPS History

In The Parks

On November 30, 1915, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Walnut Canyon National Monument, Arizona.  It features Pueblo Indian cliff dwellings built around 1200. Click here for other park anniversary dates.

In Memoriam

On November 30, 1974, Greg Wayt, a seasonal naturalist at Casa Grande, was leading an interpretive walk when he was shot and killed by a teenage boy who was shooting birds in the vicinity. Click here for a full list of on-duty deaths.

From The Morning Report Archives

Today’s incident from the Morning Report archives:

Great Smoky Mountains NP – A 19-year-old University of Tennessee student was hiking alone and off trail on the back side of Chimney Tops on September 30, 1988, when he fell about 30 feet, wedging his leg between a log and a rock, dislocating a knee, and fracturing a femur. Two days later, some hikers heard his cries for help and hiked out to notify rangers. A rescue team composed of 16 rangers and two park medics responded, extricated him, and carried him out of the backcountry. He was flown to the University of Tennessee Hospital, where he was last reported to be in good condition.

Contact Information
Name: Bill Halainen, Editor