Space News Update- June 24, 2014 -

In the News

Story 1: ‘Ghost’ Object Appears, Disappears on Titan

Story 2: An Earth-size Diamond in the Sky: The Coolest Known White Dwarf Detected

Story 3: Titan's Building Blocks Might Pre-date Saturn

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

‘Ghost’ Object Appears, Disappears on Titan

An Earth-size Diamond in the Sky: The Coolest Known White Dwarf Detected

Titan's Building Blocks Might Pre-date Saturn

The Night Sky

Sky & Telescope

Tuesday, June 24Mars and Spica shine in the southwest after dusk, with Arcturus high above them. Watch Mars move closer to Spica day by day. They'll pass each other on July 13th, just 1.3° apart.

Wednesday, June 25With Scorpius now in fine evening view, keep an eye on the doings of Delta Scorpii. This is the middle star in the row of three marking Scorpius's head. In July 2000 it unexpectedly doubled in brightness. It has remained brighter than normal ever since, with fluctuations, at about magnitude 2.0. Compare it to Beta Scorpii above it, magnitude 2.6, and Antares, 1.1.

Thursday, June 26If you have a really good dark sky, look east as the final glow of twilight fades away. All across the low eastern sky, the intricate, mottled band of the Milky Way is on the rise. It rises higher through the night and crosses straight overhead around 2 or 3 a.m.

Friday, June 27This is the time of year when, at the end of dusk, the dim Little Dipper (Ursa Minor) floats straight upward from Polaris (the end of its handle) — like a helium balloon on a string, escaped from some summer evening party. Look due north.Through light pollution, all you may see of the Little Dipper are Polaris at one end and Kochab, the lip of the Little Dipper's bowl, above it at the other.

ISS Sighting Opportunities

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

ISS For Denver:

No Sightings for Denver

NASA-TV Highlights

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

9:25 a.m., Tuesday, June 24 - ISS Expedition 40 In-Flight Interviews with ESPN’s “SportsCenter” and Univision on the World Cup (all channels)

10:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 25 - Google Plus Hangout for the Orion Parachute Test in Yuma, Arizona (all channels)

11 a.m., Wednesday, June 25 - Google Plus Hangout for the Orion Parachute Test in Yuma, Arizona (NTV-3 (Media))

11 a.m., Wednesday, June 25 - Space Station Live (NTV-1 (Public), NTV-2 (Education))

1:25 p.m., Wednesday, June 25 - ISS Expedition 40 In-Flight Educational Event with the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in San Diego for “Destination Station” (all channels)

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

Jun 24 - Asteroid 29 Amphitrite At Opposition (9.5 Magnitude)Jun 24 - Asteroid 433 Eros Closest Approach To Earth (0.720 AU)Jun 24 - Asteroid 17942 Whiterabbit Closest Approach To Earth (1.133 AU)Jun 24 - 15th Anniversary (1999), Cassini, 2nd Venus FlybyJun 24 - 40th Anniversary (1974), Salyut 3 Launch (USSR Space Station)Jun 25 - Comet P/2014 C1 (TOTAS) At Opposition (1.272 AU)Jun 25 - Asteroid 2007 WU3 Near-Earth Flyby (0.095 AU)Jun 25 - Asteroid 4221 Picasso Closest Approach To Earth (1.444 AU)Jun 26 - Comet 44P/Reinmuth Closest Approach To Earth (1.890 AU)Jun 26 - Comet 50P/Arend At Opposition (3.536 AU)Jun 26 - Centaur Object 10199 Chariklo Occults 2UCAC 15349625 (14.2 Magnitude Star)Jun 26 - Asteroid 2010 NY65 Near-Earth Flyby (0.067 AU)Jun 26 -[Jun 21] Asteroid 2014 MY Near-Earth Flyby (0.067 AU)Jun 26 - Asteroid 49272 Bryce Canyon Closest Approach To Earth (2.106 AU)Jun 27 - SPOT 7/ CanX 4 & 5/ AlSat/ linusat PSLV-C24 LaunchJun 27 - Asteroid 9533 Aleksejleonov Closest Approach To Earth (1.898 AU)Jun 27 - Asteroid 3264 Bounty Closest Approach To Earth (2.384 AU)Jun 27 - Asteroid 5738 Billpickering Closest Approach To Earth (2.845 AU)Jun 28 -[Jun 19] Comet C/2012 X1 (LINEAR) Closest Approach To Earth (1.553 AU)Jun 28 - Comet P/2014 L3 (Hill) Perihelion (1.854 AU)Jun 28 - Comet 255P/Levy At Opposition (4.032 AU)Jun 28 - Asteroid 1994 CJ1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.091 AU)Jun 28 - Asteroid 2102 Tantalus Closest Approach To Earth (0.424 AU)Jun 28 - Asteroid 6827 Wombat Closest Approach To Earth (1.999 AU)Jun 28 - Kuiper Belt Object 307261 (2002 MS4) At Opposition (45.956 AU)

Food for ThoughtNASA's Mars Curiosity Rover Marks First Martian Year

Space Image of the Week

Persistent Saturnian Auroras Image Credit: J. Clarke (Boston U.) & Z. Levay (STScI), ESA, NASA