Space News Update- October 14, 2014 -

In the News

Story 1: Bigelow Inflatable Module to be Added to Space Station in 2015

Story 2:Secretive X-37B Military Space Plane Could Land in California Tuesday

Story 3: Nearby Galaxy Holds First Ultraluminous X-Ray Source that is a Pulsar

Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV HighlightsSpace CalendarFood for Thought

Space Image of the Week

Bigelow Inflatable Module to be Added to Space Station in 2015

Secretive X-37B Military Space Plane Could Land in California

Tuesday

Nearby Galaxy Holds First Ultraluminous X-Ray Source that

is a Pulsar

The Night SkyTuesday, October 14Now that it's mid-October, Deneb has replaced Vega as the zenith star after nightfall (for skywatchers at mid-northern latitudes) — and, accordingly, Capricornus has replaced Sagittarius as the most notable constellation low in the south.

Wednesday, October 15Last-quarter Moon (exactly so at 3:12 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time). The Moon rises around midnight tonight, below Gemini. By early dawn on Thursday the 16th it's very high in the south — with Pollux and Castor above it, Procyon to its lower right, and bright Jupiter shining farther to its lower left.Watch the thinning crescent Moon pass Jupiter and Regulus in early dawn.

Thursday, October 16Dawn and sunrise come quite late now as the season advances. On Friday morning the 17th, before the sky gets too bright, you'll find Jupiter to the left of the waning Moon, and Procyon farther to the Moon's right.

Friday, October 17Before dawn Saturday morning, Jupiter shines above the waning Moon. Although they look rather close together, Jupiter is 2,100 times farther in the background — at a distance of 47 light-minutes, compared to the Moon's 1.3 light-seconds.

Saturday, October 18This is the time of year when, after nightfall, W-shaped Cassiopeia stands on end halfway up the northeastern sky — and when, off to its left, the dim Little Dipper extends leftward from Polaris in the north. 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 Tue Oct 14, 7:17 PM 3 min 13° 10 above NW 10 above NNE Wed Oct 15, 8:07 PM < 1 min 10° 10 above NNW 10 above N Thu Oct 16, 7:18 PM 2 min 11° 10 above NNW 10 above N Fri Oct 17, 8:06 PM < 1 min 12° 10 above NNW 12 above N Sat Oct 18, 7:17 PM 2 min 11° 10 above N 10 above NNE

NASA-TV Highlights

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

8 a.m., Tuesday, October 14 - Replay of NASA Science Briefing - Comet Siding Spring (all channels)

7 a.m., Wednesday, October 15 - Coverage of the ISS Expedition 41 U.S. Spacewalk # 28 (Wiseman and Wilmore; spacewalk scheduled to begin at 8:20 a.m. ET) (all channels)

6 a.m., Friday, October 17 - Live Media Interviews on the “Mars flyby of Comet Siding Spring” (10/19/2014) (NTV-3 (Media))

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

•Oct 14 - [Oct 05] Comet 306P/LINEAR Closest Approach To Earth (0.773 AU) •Oct 14 - Comet 233P/La Sagra Closest Approach To Earth (1.659 AU) •Oct 14 - Comet 303P/NEAT Perihelion (2.488 AU) •Oct 14 - Comet 94P/Russell At Opposition (3.306 AU) •Oct 14 - Comet C/2013 V2 (Borisov) Perihelion (3.508 AU) •Oct 14 - Kuiper Belt Object 202421 (2005 UQ513) At Opposition (47.468 AU) •Oct 15 - Asteroid 2014 SL260 Near-Earth Flyby (0.083 AU) •Oct 15 - 2014 Hosted Payload Summit, Washington DC •Oct 15 - Tom Bopp's 65th Birthday (1949) •Oct 15 - 85th Anniversary (1929), Beardsley Meteorite Shower in Kansas •Oct 15 - Asaph Hall's 185th Birthday (1829) •Oct 16 - [Oct 08] IRNSS-1C PSLV-XL Launch •Oct 16 - Intelsat 30/ ARSAT 1 Ariane 5 Launch •Oct 16 - Comet P/2013 N3 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (2.568 AU) •Oct 16 - Comet P/2005 RV25 (LONEOS-Christensen) At Opposition (2.843 AU) •Oct 16 - Asteroid (28289) 1999 CT50 Occults HIP 30570 (6.0 Magnitude Star) •Oct 16 - Asteroid 55 Pandora Closest Approach To Earth (1.376 AU) •Oct 17 - Mercury Passes 2.7 Degrees From Venus •Oct 17 - Comet 32P/Comas Sola Perihelion (2.001 AU) •Oct 17 - Comet P/2013 P1 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (4.279 AU) •Oct 17 - Asteroid 2014 SN260 Near-Earth Flyby (0.067 AU) •Oct 17 - Asteroid 4581 Asciepius Closest Approach To Earth (0.273 AU) •Oct 17 - Asteroid 2011 MD Closest Approach To Earth (1.506 AU) •Oct 17 - Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris At Opposition (95.407 AU) •Oct 18 - [Oct 11] Dragon CRS-4 Return To Earth (International Space Station) •Oct 18 - [Oct 11] Ames Research Center Open House, Moffett Field, California •Oct 18 - Comet 108P/Ciffreo Perihelion (1.709 AU) •Oct 18 - Asteroid 3 Juno Occults TYC 0207-00206-1 (12.0 Magnitude Star) •Oct 18 - Asteroid 2014 TV Near-Earth Flyby (0.011 AU) •Oct 18 - Asteroid 2014 SU1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.035 AU) •Oct 18 - Asteroid 1850 Kohoutek Closest Approach To Earth (1.413 AU) •Oct 18 - Asteroid 2315 Czechoslovakia Closest Approach To Earth (1.712 AU) •Oct 18 - Asteroid 7307 Takei Closest Approach To Earth (1.920 AU) •Oct 18 - Asteroid 5441 Andymurray Closest Approach To Earth (2.181 AU) •Oct 18 - 25th Anniversary (1989), STS-34 Launch (Space Shuttle Atlantis, Galileo Launch - Jupiter Orbiter)

NASA Galileo spacecraft which consisted of an orbiter and entry probe, studied Jupiter and its moons. Named after Galileo Galilei

Food for Thought

What Part of the Milky Way Can We See?

Space Image of the Week

Image Credit: C. R. O'Dell, (Vanderbilt) et al. ESA, NOAO, NASA

The Helix Nebula from Blanco and Hubble