Space News Update- January 20, 2012 -

In the News

Story 1: Rocks From Mars

Story 2:Dragon ISS flight slips – SpaceX determined to return US crewed access to LEO

Story 3: First-Ever Image of a Black Hole to be Captured by Earth-Sized Scope

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

Rocks From Mars

Dragon ISS flight slips – SpaceX determined to return US crewed

access to LEO

First-Ever Image of a Black Hole to be Captured by Earth-Sized Scope

The Night Sky

Friday, January 20· Jupiter's moon Io crosses Jupiter's face from 8:07 to 10:17 p.m. EST. Io's tiny black shadow follows behind from 9:28 to 11:37 p.m. EST.

Saturday, January 21· Bright Capella passes closest to your zenith around 9 or 10 tonight, depending on how far east or west you are in your time zone. How accurately can you time when this happens, just by looking? Capella crosses right through your zenith if you're at north latitude 46°: Oregon, Montreal, central France.

Sunday, January 22· Bright Orion stands upright at its highest in the south around 8 or 9 p.m. this week. Orion's top left corner is fire-colored Betelgeuse, one of the stars of the equilateral Winter Triangle. The other two are Procyon, about two fist-widths at arm's length lower left of Betelgeuse, and bright Sirius, a similar distance below Betelgeuse.

· Algol in Perseus is at minimum light, magnitude 2.4 instead of its usual 2.1, for about two hours centered on 9:05 p.m. EST (6:05 p.m. PST). · New Moon (exact at 2:39 a.m. Monday morning EST).

Monday, January 23· By 9 p.m. the Big Dipper is already standing vertically on its handle, well up in the northeast — an early sign of the approach of spring.· Jupiter's Great Red Spot crosses the planet's central meridian around 7:54 p.m. EST. · How well do you know the telescopic sights of Orion's Belt and Sword, really? Make new finds here with Sue French's Deep-Sky Wonders article and chart in the January Sky & Telescope, page 54.

ISS Sighting Opportunities

SATELLITE LOCAL DURATIONMAX ELEV

APPROACH DEPARTURE

DATE/TIME (MIN) (DEG) (DEG-DIR) (DEG-DIR)

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

For Denver:

For Denver: No ISS Sighting OpportunitiesFor Denver: No ISS Sighting Opportunities

ISS Sat Jan 21/06:11 AM 2 14 14 above NNW 10 above NNE

ISS Sun Jan 22/05:16 AM < 1 12 12 above NNE 10 above NNE

ISS Sun Jan 22/06:51 AM 1 10 10 above N 10 above N

ISS Mon Jan 23/05:54 AM 1 11 11 above N 10 above NNE

NASA-TV Highlights(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website

January 21, Saturday6 a.m., 11:30 a.m. - Replay of NASA News Conference - GRAIL Spacecraft Renamed - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)6:25 a.m., 1:35 p.m., 10:30 p.m. - Replay of Expedition 31 Crew News Conference - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)7 a.m., 7 p.m. - Replay of ISS Update (1/17/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)8 a.m., 8 p.m. - Replay of ISS Update (1/18/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)9 a.m., 12 p.m., 6 p.m. - NASA Television Video File - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)10 a.m., 9 p.m. - Replay of ISS Update Special Edition (1/19/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)1 p.m. - Replay of Expedition 31 Crew News Conference - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)3 p.m. - Replay of ISS Update (1/20/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)4 p.m. - Replay of FIRST Robotics Kickoff Event - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)

NASA-TV Highlights

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website

January 22, Sunday6 a.m., 7 p.m. - Replay of NASA News Conference - GRAIL Spacecraft Renamed - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)6:25 a.m., 7:25 p.m. - Replay of Expedition 31 Crew News Conference - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)7 a.m., 2 p.m., 9:15 p.m. - Replay of ISS Update (1/17/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)8 a.m., 3 p.m., 10:15 p.m. - Replay of ISS Update (1/18/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)9 a.m., 8 p.m. - Replay of FIRST Robotics Kickoff Event - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)10:15 a.m. - Replay of ISS Update Special Edition (1/19/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)12 p.m., 6 p.m. - NASA Television Video File - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)1 p.m., 11:15 p.m. - Replay of ISS Update (1/20/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)4 p.m. - Replay of ISS Update Special Edition (1/19/11) - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels) January 23, Monday8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. – Zero Robotics ISS Finals – AMES/MIT (Public, HD and Education Channels)11 a.m. – ISS Update – JSC (Media Channels)

Space Calendar

Jan 20 - Comet 244P/Scotti Perihelion (3.918 AU)Jan 20 - Asteroid 2012 AX Near-Earth Flyby (0.074 AU)Jan 21 - Comet P/2011 JB15 (Spacewatch-Boattini) Perihelion (5.019 AU)Jan 21 - Asteroid 4341 Poseidon Closest Approach To Earth (0.397 AU)Jan 21 - Asteroid 2801 Huygens Closest Approach To Earth (2.141 AU)Jan 21 - Asteroid 624 Hektor Closest Approach To Earth (4.202 AU)Jan 22 - Asteroid 2012 AY Near-Earth Flyby (0.091 AU)Jan 22 - Asteroid 1772 Gagarin Closest Approach To Earth (1.411 AU)Jan 22 - Asteroid 16626 Thumper Closest Approach To Earth (1.839 AU)Jan 23 - Chinese New YearJan 23 - Comet P/2011 W1 (PANSTARRS) Perihelion (3.310 AU)Jan 23 - Asteroid 2012 AC3 Near-Earth Flyby (0.073 AU)Jan 23 - Asteroid 1193 Africa Closest Approach To Earth (1.808 AU)

Johann Gottfried GalleWilhelm Beer

Food for Thought

Solar Flare May Spark Weekend Northern Lights Show

Space Image of the WeekThe Helix in New

Colors

Photo credit: ESO