Space News Update- June 20 - 24, 2011 -

In the News

Story 1: Newfound Comet Will Swing By Earth in 2013

Story 2:The longest day – Summer Solstice 21st June 2011

Story 3: Rocky, Low-Mass World Discovered via Microlensing

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

Newfound Comet Will Swing By Earth in 2013

The longest day – Summer Solstice 21st June 2011

Rocky, Low-Mass World Discovered via Microlensing

The Night Sky· Monday, June 20 · Look low in the west-northwest for Pollux and Castor as twilight fades away. They're lined up not quite horizontally. These two "winter" stars have far outstayed their season.  Tuesday, June 21 · The June solstice occurs at 1:16 p.m. EDT. This is the moment when the Sun is farthest north for the year and begins its six-month return southward. Summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere, where this is the year's longest day. In the Southern Hemisphere, winter begins. If you have a good view of the west-northwest horizon (from mid-northern latitudes), mark precisely where the Sun sets. In a few days you should be able to detect that it's again starting to set a little south of this point. Build your own Stonehenge?  Wednesday, June 22 · Now that the Moon is gone from the evening sky, try hunting out galaxies hear the head of Serpens using Sue French's "Deep-Sky Wonders" chart, photos, and article in the June Sky & Telescope, page 62. Find the Sombrero galaxy above Corvus right after dark using page 45. And check out "Galaxies near Bright Stars" on page 68.  Thursday, June 23 · Last-quarter Moon (exact at 7:48 a.m. EDT). The Moon rises very late tonight, around 1 a.m. EDT on the 24th depending on your location. Look above it for the Great Square of Pegasus.  Friday, June 24 · With summer here, look south-southeast after dark for the bright constellation Scorpius, "the Orion of summer," now reasonably high and standing upright. Like Orion, Scorpius is marked by several 2nd-magnitude blue-white stars and one of the two brightest red supergiants in the sky (Antares in Scorpius, Betelgeuse in Orion). However, Scorpius is some 30° farther south.

M51 Supernova brightening. Supernova 2011dh, which was discovered in the Whirlpool Galaxy, M51, on May 31st, has been brightening ever since — though the brightening is now leveling off. As of June 16th the supernova was about V magnitude 12.6 and visible in a lot more amateur telescopes.

With higher magnification and a moderately good sky, anyone with an 8-inch or larger scope should be able to spot the supernova. I can’t remember the last time we had one that was this easily visible."

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 Jun 20/09:04 PM 1 14 14 above N 10 above NNEISS Mon Jun 20/10:41 PM < 1 10 10 above N 10 above NISS Tue Jun 21/00:17 AM < 1 19 18 above N 19 above NNEISS Tue Jun 21/09:41 PM < 1 10 10 above N 10 above NISS Tue Jun 21/11:17 PM 2 13 13 above N 11 above NEISS Wed Jun 22/00:51 AM < 1 12 10 above NW 12 above NWISS Wed Jun 22/10:17 PM 1 10 10 above N 10 above NNEISS Wed Jun 22/11:53 PM < 1 24 21 above N 24 above NISS Thu Jun 23/10:54 PM 2 17 16 above N 13 above NEISS Fri Jun 24/00:28 AM < 1 12 10 above NW 12 above NWISS Fri Jun 24/09:54 PM 2 12 11 above N 10 above NE

ISS Fri Jun 24/11:30 PM 1 3622 above NNW

36 above N

NASA-TV Highlights

June 20, Monday5:45 p.m. - STS-135 Crew Arrival and Remarks for the final Space Shuttle Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test - KSC (Public, HD and Media Channels)

June 21, Tuesday10 a.m. - ISS Update (may include live coverage of the ISS Progress 43 cargo ship launch from Baikonur, Kazakhstan at 10:38 a.m. EDT) - JSC (Public, HD and Media Channels)

June 22, Wednesday8:40 a.m. - STS-135 Crew Final Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test Launch Pad Question and Answer Session with Media - KSC (Public, HD and Media Channels)

June 23, Thursday8:10 a.m. - ISS Expedition 28 Educational In-Flight Event for JAXA with Nagano, Japan - JSC (All Channels)12 p.m. - ISS Progress 43 Docking Coverage (docking scheduled at 12:35 p.m. EDT) - JSC (Public, HD and Media Channels)1 p.m. - NASA TV Video File - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)2 p.m. - NASA Science News Briefing -- Dawn Spacecraft Images/Science from Vesta Asteroid – HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)

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

Space Calendar· Jun 20 - Cassini, Titan Flyby · Jun 20 - Asteroid 8103 Fermi Closest Approach To Earth (1.852 AU) · Jun 20 - Asteroid 5223 McSween Closest Approach To Earth (2.233 AU) · Jun 20 - Asteroid 8373 Stephengould Closest Approach To Earth (2.968 AU) · Jun 21 - Progress M-11M Soyuz U Launch (International Space Station 43P) · Jun 21 - ATV Johannes Kepler Reenters Earth's Atmosphere · Jun 21 - Summer Solstice, 17:16 UT · Jun 21 - Comet 62P/Tsuchinshan Closest Approach To Earth (2.352 AU) · Jun 21 - Asteroid 4 Vesta Occults TYC 6365-00736-1 (11.6 Magnitude Star) · Jun 21 - Asteroid 1602 Indiana Closest Approach To Earth (1.340 AU) · Jun 21 - Live Astronaut Webcast: Bob Crippen · Jun 22 - Comet C/2010 R1 (LINEAR) Closest Approach To Earth (5.224 AU) · Jun 22 - 35th Anniversary (1976), Salyut 5 Launch (USSR Space Station) · Jun 23 - Comet P/2010 H2 (Vales) Closest Approach To Earth (2.622 AU) · Jun 23 - Asteroid 2009 WW104 Near-Earth Flyby (0.039 AU) · Jun 23 - Asteroid 2010 NY65 Near-Earth Flyby (0.088 AU) · Jun 23 - Asteroid 1655 Comas Sola Closest Approach To Earth (2.392 AU) · Jun 24 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #287 (OTM-287) · Jun 24 - Comet 130P/McNaught-Hughes Perihelion (2.098 AU) · Jun 24 - Asteroid 2 Pallas Occults TYC 1639-02448-1 (11.4 Magnitude Star) · Jun 24 - Asteroid 2531 Cambridge Closest Approach To Earth (2.105 AU) · Jun 24 - Asteroid 2044 Wirt Closest Approach To Earth (2.226 AU)   JPL Space Calendar

Food for ThoughtThe Greatest Mysteries of Venus

 

Space Image of the Week