Space News Update- September 12, 2014 -

In the News

Story 1: NASA’s Orion Spacecraft Nears Completion, Ready for Fueling

Story 2: Curiosity Readies To Climb “Mount Sharp”

Story 3: Hot Jupiters Provoke Their Own Host Suns to Wobble

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

NASA’s Orion Spacecraft Nears Completion, Ready for Fueling

Curiosity Readies To Climb “Mount Sharp”

Hot Jupiters Provoke Their Own Host Suns to Wobble

Sunday, September 14If you have a dark sky and a scope that can reach 13th-magnitude galaxies, here's an observing project you've probably never thought of: Steve Gottlieb's "Going Deep" tour of Vorontsov-Velyaminov galaxy pairs now high in the evening sky. See the September Sky & Telescope, page 60, with charts and pictures. Monday, September 15Last-quarter Moon (exactly last-quarter at 10:05 p.m. EDT). The Moon rises around midnight tonight under the horn-tips of Taurus. It stands high in the south over Orion by Tuesday's dawn. Tuesday, September 16Arcturus is the bright star fairly high due west at nightfall. It's an orange giant 37 light-years away. Off to its right in the northwest is the Big Dipper, most of whose stars are about 80 light-years away.

The Night Sky

Sky & Telescope

Friday, September 12Auroras tonight? And possibly Saturday night? A coronal mass ejection from the Sun hit the Earth around 8 this morning Eastern Daylight Time (12:00 UT), and another arrived a few hours later. They were not as strong as expected, but their effects may continue for more than a day. See our article: Potent Solar Flare — Auroras Friday?. And check for recent photos. In the southwestern sky at dusk, Antares, Mars, and Saturn now form an almost equally spaced straight line, as shown at right. Mars continues to move east against its starry background. Watch for it to pass ½° north of Delta Scorpii on September 17th and 3° north of Antares on the 27th and 28th. This evening one of Saturn's moons, 10th-magnitude Rhea, will occult (cover up) a much brighter star, 7.8 magnitude SAO 159034, for much of eastern North America. Details and illustrations are in our article, See Saturn’s Moon Rhea Hide a Star. Saturday, September 13How soon after sunset can you make out the big Summer Triangle? Vega, its brightest star, is nearly at the zenith (for skywatchers at mid-northern latitudes). Deneb is the first bright star to Vega's east-northeast. Altair shines less high in the southeast.

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

Sat Sep 13, 5:16 AM

3 min 49° 28 above SSW 30 above E

Sun Sep 14, 4:29 AM

1 min 24° 24 above ESE 16 above E

Sun Sep 14, 6:02 AM

6 min 33° 11 above W 11 above NE

Mon Sep 15, 5:16 AM

3 min 55° 47 above WNW 19 above NE

Tue Sep 16, 4:29 AM

< 1 min 30° 30 above NE 20 above NE

Tue Sep 16, 6:02 AM

5 min 18° 10 above WNW 10 above NNE

NASA-TV Highlights

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

No Special Event Programming.  

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

Sep 12 - Comet 307P/LINEAR Closest Approach To Earth (1.184 AU)Sep 12 - Comet P/2006 S6 (Hill) Closest Approach To Earth (1.859 AU)Sep 12 - Asteroid 5841 Stone Closest Approach To Earth (0.759 AU)Sep 12 - Asteroid 10217 Richardcook Closest Approach To Earth (0.945 AU)Sep 12 - Asteroid 284891 Kona Closest Approach To Earth (2.107 AU)Sep 12 - 55th Anniversary (1959), Luna 2 Launch (USSR Moon Impact Mission)Sep 13 - Comet 284P/McNaught At Opposition (1.292 AU)Sep 13 - Asteroid 3156 Ellington Occults HIP 20591 (5.8 Magnitude Star)Sep 13 - Asteroid 3365 Recogne Occults HIP 25410 (6.2 Magnitude Star)Sep 13 - Asteroid 85386 Payton Closest Approach To Earth (1.396 AU)Sep 13 - Asteroid 5277 Brisbane Closest Approach To Earth (1.532 AU)Sep 13 - Asteroid 2830 Greenwich Closest Approach To Earth (1.922 AU)Sep 14 - Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), Trajectory Correction Maneuver #4 (TCM-4)Sep 14 - Comet 194P/LINEAR At Opposition (3.337 AU)Sep 14 - Asteroid 253 Mathilde Occults TYC 0014-00689-1 (12.2 Magnitude Star)Sep 14 - Asteroid 2014 QZ295 Near-Earth Flyby (0.026 AU)Sep 14 - Asteroid 91287 Simon-Garfunkel Closest Approach To Earth (1.521 AU)Sep 14 - Asteroid 1958 Chandra Closest Approach To Earth (1.730 AU)Sep 14 - Asteroid 12760 Maxwell Closest Approach To Earth (1.756 AU)Sep 14 - Asteroid 3325 TARDIS Closest Approach To Earth (2.286 AU)Sep 14 - 40th Anniversary (1974), Charles Kowal's Discovery Of Jupiter Moon LedaSep 15 - Asteroid 2014 NE63 Near-Earth Flyby (0.099 AU)Sep 15 - [Sep 05] Asteroid 2014 RF11 Near-Earth Flyby (0.099 AU)Sep 15 - Asteroid 12373 Lancearmstrong Closest Approach To Earth (1.419 AU)Sep 16 - CLIO Atlas 5 LaunchSep 16 - Comet C/2013 V5 (Oukaimeden) Closest Approach To Earth (0.481 AU)Sep 16 - Asteroid 1061 Paeonia Occults HIP 29655 (3.3 Magnitude Star)Sep 16 - Asteroid 2009 RR Near-Earth Flyby (0.005 AU)Sep 16 - Asteroid 5899 Jedicke Closest Approach To Earth (0.846 AU)Sep 16 - Asteroid 5961 Watt Closest Approach To Earth (1.742 AU)Sep 16 - Asteroid 7610 Sudbury Closest Approach To Earth (1.935 AU)Sep 16 - Asteroid 439 Ohio Closest Approach To Earth (2.149 AU)Sep 16 - Asteroid 6371 Heinlein Closest Approach To Earth (2.485 AU)

Food for Thought

Calling All Volunteers to Help Digitize Astronomical History

Space Image of the Week

ROSETTA MISSION SELFIE AT COMET