Space News Update- January 28, 2013 -

In the News

Story 1: Atlas 5 comes together at record pace for NASA launch

Story 2: Opportunity Rover Starts Year 10 on Mars with Remarkable Science Discoveries

Story 3: Kepler telescope's pointing system under scrutiny

Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV HighlightsSpace CalendarFood for Thought

Space Image of the Week

Atlas 5 comes together at record pace for NASA launch

Opportunity Rover Starts Year 10 on Mars with Remarkable Science

Discoveries

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Kepler telescope's pointing system under scrutiny

The Night SkyMonday, January 28· Once the waning gibbous Moon is well up in the east in mid- to late evening, look upper left of it for Regulus with the Sickle of Leo extending beyond, as shown here. Look about twice as far to the Moon's right for Alphard, the fire-colored heart of Hydra.

Tuesday, January 29· Around 9 or 10 p.m. this week (depending on how far east or west you live in your time zone), brilliant Sirius is at its highest due south.· Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky — and are you far enough south to see the second brightest, Canopus? In one of the many interesting coincidences that devoted skywatchers know about, Canopus lies almost due south of Sirius: by 36°. That's far enough south that it never appears above your horizon unless you're below latitude 37° N (southern Virginia, southern Missouri, central California). And there, you'll need a flat south horizon. Canopus transits the sky's north-south meridian just 21 minutes before Sirius does.When to look? Canopus is there at its highest point when Beta Canis Majoris — Mirzim, the star about three finger-widths to the right of Sirius — is at itshighest point crossing the meridian. Look straight down from Mirzim then.

Wednesday, January 30· Saturn is at western quadrature: 90° west of the Sun in the morning sky.

The Night SkyThursday, January 31· Jupiter's moon Io crosses Jupiter's face from 7:59 to 11:09 p.m. EST. Io's tiny black shadow follows behind across Jupiter from 10:10 p.m. to 12:21 a.m. EST. Meanwhile, Jupiter's Great Red Spot (actually pale orange-tan) crosses the planet's central meridian around 8:07 p.m. EST.For all of Jupiter's satellite events and Great Red Spot transit times, good worldwide, get our newJupiterMoons app.

Friday, February 1· The sky's biggest well-known asterism (informal star pattern) is the Winter Hexagon or Winter Circle. It fills the sky toward the east and south these evenings. Start with brilliant Sirius at its bottom. Going clockwise from there, march through Procyon, then Pollux and Castor, then Menkalinen and Capella overhead, down to Aldebaran (overshone by Jupiter this season!), down to Rigel, and back to Sirius.

ISS Sighting Opportunities

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

For Denver:

SATELLITE LOCAL DURATIONMAX ELEV

APPROACH DEPARTURE

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

ISS Mon Jan 28/05:29 AM 2 36 34 above NNE 25 above ENE

ISS Tue Jan 29/04:41 AM < 1 15 15 above ENE 15 above ENE

ISS Tue Jan 29/06:14 AM 5 45 17 above WNW 12 above SSE

ISS Wed Jan 30/05:26 AM 3 85 85 above SE 14 above SE

ISS Thu Jan 31/04:38 AM < 1 15 15 above ESE 12 above ESE

ISS Thu Jan 31/06:10 AM 3 16 15 above WSW 10 above S

ISS Fri Feb 01/05:22 AM 1 22 22 above S 12 above SSE

NASA-TV Highlights

Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.

January 28, Monday11 a.m. - ISS Update - JSC (All Channels)1 p.m. - TDRS-K Prelaunch News Conference - KSC (All Channels)

January 29, Tuesday10 a.m. - 12 p.m. - TDRS-K NASA Social - KSC (Public and Education Channels)11 a.m. - ISS Update - JSC (Media Channel)

January 30, Wednesday12:40 p.m. - ISS Expedition 34 In-Flight Event for the Canadian Space Agency at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa - JSC (All Channels)6:15 p.m. - Live Coverage of the TDRS-K Launch - KSC (All Channels)

January 31, Thursday 12:05 p.m. - ISS Mission Control Console Interview with the Digital Learning Network - JSC (All Channels)

February 1, Friday10 a.m. - Kennedy Space Center’s Day of Remembrance Ceremony - KSC (All Channels)

Space CalendarJan 28 - Comet 246P/NEAT Perihelion (2.880 AU)Jan 28 - Asteroid 3925 Tret'yakov Occults HIP 45758 (6.6 Magnitude Star)Jan 28 - Asteroid 2011 BY10 Near-Earth Flyby (0.055 AU)Jan 28 - Asteroid 2004 Lexell Closest Approach To Earth (1.110 AU)Jan 28 - Asteroid 3709 Polypoites Closest Approach To Earth (4.107 AU)Jan 29 - Comet P/2013 A2 (Scotti) Closest Approach To Earth (1.210 AU)Jan 29 - Comet 272P/NEAT Closest Approach To Earth (1.450 AU)Jan 29 - Comet 185P/Petriew Closest Approach To Earth (1.450 AU)Jan 30 - [Jan 24] TDRS-K Atlas 5 LaunchJan 30 - [Jan 28] STSat 2C Naro 1 LaunchJan 30 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #339 (OTM-339)Jan 30 - [Jan 24] Asteroid 2013 BT45 Near-Earth Flyby (0.086 AU)Jan 30 - Asteroid 1225 Ariane Closest Approach To Earth (1.088 AU)Jan 30 - Asteroid 2343 Siding Spring Closest Approach To Earth (1.556 AU)Jan 30 - 145th Anniversary (1868), Pultusk Meteorite Shower in PolandJan 31 - Intelsat 27 Zenit 3SL LaunchJan 31 - [Jan 21] Asteroid 2013 BE19 Near-Earth Flyby (0.045 AU)Jan 31 - Asteroid 17744 Jodiefoster Closest Approach To Earth (2.010 AU)Jan 31 - Asteroid 17078 Sellers Closest Approach To Earth (2.280 AU)Jan 31 - Asteroid 10379 Lake Placid Closest Approach To Earth (2.459 AU)Jan 31 - 2nd Dutch Gravitational Wave Meeting, Nijmegen, The NetherlandsJan 31 - 55th Anniversary (1958), Explorer 1 Launch (1st US Satellite)Feb 01 - [Jan 25] 10th Anniversary (2003), Space Shuttle Columbia DisasterFeb 01 - Comet 111P/Helin-Roman-Crockett Perihelion (3.704 AU)Feb 01 - Asteroid 3918 Brel Occults HIP 30586 (6.9 Magnitude Star)Feb 01 - Asteroid 14566 Hokule'a Occults HIP 39271 (6.2 Magnitude Star)Feb 01 - Asteroid 2012 YN6 Near-Earth Flyby (0.054 AU)Feb 01 - Asteroid 15000 CCD Closest Approach To Earth (1.797 AU)Feb 01 - Asteroid 1143 Odysseus Closest Approach To Earth (3.864 AU)

JPL Space Calendar

Food for Thought

Iran Launches Monkey Into Space: Reports

Space Image of the Week

Image Credit:  NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona