Space News Update- November 8, 2013 -

In the News

Story 1: Cosmonauts set for Olympic torch spacewalk

Story 2:Kepler finds Earth-size planets commonplace

Story 3: Rare New Microbe Found in Two Distant Clean Rooms

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV HighlightsSpace CalendarFood for Thought

Space Image of the Week

Cosmonauts set for Olympic torch spacewalk

Kepler finds Earth-size planets commonplace

Rare New Microbe Found in Two Distant Clean Rooms

The Night Sky

Friday, November 8 Using binoculars shortly after dark, look a little to the upper left of the nearly first-quarter Moon (as seen from North America) for Alpha and Beta Capricorni, two wide binocular double stars. Alpha is easy to resolve and can even be split with the naked eye if you have sharp vision. Beta, with its closer, fainter secondary star (just west of the primary) is a tougher double in binoculars.

Saturday, November 9 First-quarter Moon (exact at 12:57 a.m. EST Sunday morning). The Moon shines at nightfall about midway between Altair far to its upper right and Fomalhaut far to its lower left. It hangs just above the dim pattern of Capricornus.

Sunday, November 10 Cassiopeia shines high in the northeast in early evening, with its five-star W pattern standing on end. Look far below it for Capella rising. Far right of Capella is the little Pleiades cluster, with Aldebaran down below it.

Monday, November 11 Orion displays itself well up in the east-southeast by 9 or 10 p.m. now (depending on how far east or west you are in your time zone). Far left of Orion is Jupiter, shining brightly on its background of Gemini.

Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities

Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

ISS For Denver:

Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears

Sun Nov 10, 5:29

AM

3 min 30° 10 above SSW 29 above ESE

Mon Nov 11, 4:41

AM

3 min 17° 10 above S 17 above ESE

Mon Nov 11, 6:17

AM

1 min 18° 10 above WSW 18 above WSW

NASA-TV Highlights

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

November 9, Saturday9 a.m. - ISS Expedition 37 Russian Spacewalk Coverage (Spacewalk begins at 9:30 a.m. ET) - JSC  (All Channels)

November 10, Sunday2:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 37 Farewells and Hatch Closure Coverage (will include a replay of the Expedition 37/38 Change of Command Ceremony held earlier in the day; hatch closure scheduled at 3 p.m. ET)  - JSC (All Channels)6 p.m. - ISS Expedition 37/Soyuz TMA-09M Undocking Coverage (undocking scheduled at 6:26 p.m. ET) - JSC (All Channels)8:30 p.m. - ISS Expedition 37/Soyuz TMA-09M Deorbit Burn and Landing Coverage (Deorbit burn scheduled at 8:55 p.m. ET, landing near Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan scheduled at 9:49 p.m. ET) - JSC via Kazakhstan (All Channels)11 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 37/Soyuz TMA-09M Landing and Post-Landing Activities - HQ (All Channels)

November 11, Monday10:30 a.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 37/Soyuz TMA-09M Landing and Post-Landing Activities; scheduled to include post-landing interviews with Expedition 37 Flight Engineers Karen Nyberg of NASA and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency and the return of Cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin to Chkalovsky Airfield near Star City, Russia - JSC (All Channels)

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

Nov 08 - [Nov 08] GOCE Spacecraft Reenters Earth's AtmoshereNov 08 - Comet 116P/Wild At Opposition (3.418 AU)Nov 08 - Asteroid 2012 UV136 Near-Earth Flyby (0.048 AU)Nov 08 - Asteroid 2013 RV9 Near-Earth Flyby (0.069 AU)Nov 08 - Asteroid 3362 Khufu Closest Approach To Earth (1.018 AU)Nov 08 - Asteroid 1221 Amor Closest Approach To Earth (1.632 AU)Nov 08 - 45th Anniversary (1968), Pioneer 9 Launch (Solar Orbiter)Nov 09 - Comet P/2013 O2 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (1.180 AU)Nov 09 - Comet 291P/NEAT At Opposition (1.613 AU)Nov 09 - Comet P/2012 K3 (Gibbs) At Opposition (2.451 AU)Nov 09 - Comet 180P/NEAT At Opposition (3.520 AU)Nov 09 - Asteroid 2013 TN69 Near-Earth Flyby (0.083 AU)Nov 09 - Asteroid 26858 Misterrogers Closest Approach To Earth (0.716 AU)Nov 09 - Asteroid 7291 Hyakutake Closest Approach To Earth (1.476 AU)Nov 09 - Asteroid 12382 Niagara Falls Closest Approach To Earth (1.845 AU)Nov 09 - 5th Annual Carl Sagan DayNov 10 - Comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) At Opposition (3.888 AU)Nov 10 - 45th Anniversary (1968), Zond 6 Launch (USSR Moon Orbit & Return)Nov 10 - 190th Anniversary (1823), Waseda Meteorite Fall (Hit House in Japan)Nov 11 - [Nov 04] Soyuz TMA-09M Return To Earth (International Space Station)Nov 11 - Comet 291P/NEAT Closest Approach To Earth (1.613 AU)Nov 11 - Asteroid 2005 TG50 Near-Earth Flyby (0.041 AU)Nov 11 - Asteroid 6063 Jason Near-Earth Flyby (0.079 AU)Nov 11 - Asteroid 1997 WQ23 Near-Earth Flyby (0.079 AU)Nov 11 - Asteroid 4116 Elachi Closest Approach To Earth (0.977 AU)Nov 12 - [Nov 05] Raduga 1M-3 (Cosmos-Globus 1M3) Proton M-Briz M LaunchNov 12 - Comet P/2013 O2 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (1.179 AU)Nov 12 - [Nov 07] Asteroid 2013 VO4 Near-Earth Flyby (0.029 AU)Nov 12 - Asteroid 2013 UC1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.061 AU)Nov 12 - Asteroid 3905 Doppler Closest Approach To Earth (1.001 AU)Nov 12 - Asteroid 216 Kleopatra Closest Approach To Earth (1.137 AU)Nov 12 - Asteroid 3124 Kansas Closest Approach To Earth (1.717 AU)Nov 12 - Asteroid 3317 Paris Closest Approach To Earth (4.699 AU)

Food for Thought

Chandra Infographic Shows Where The Color Comes From In Space Pictures

Space Image of the Week

Hubble Sees Asteroid Spout Six Comet-like Tails