Space News Update- October 1, 2013 -

In the News

Story 1: NASA at 55 Years Old

Story 2:Dawn Reality-Checks Telescope Studies of Asteroids

Story 3: NASA Space Telescopes Find Patchy Clouds on Exotic World

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV HighlightsSpace CalendarFood for Thought

Space Image of the Week

NASA’s 55th Anniversary

Dawn Reality-Checks Telescope Studies of Asteroids

NASA Space Telescopes Find Patchy Clouds on

Exotic World

The Night SkyMonday, September 30 • In the eastern dawn Tuesday morning, look for the thin waning crescent Moon forming a triangle with Mars and Regulus, as shown at right. Best view: at least an hour before your local sunrise.

Tuesday, October 1 • Now that October is here, the little fall constellation Aries is visible in the east-northeast after dark and all through the evening. Its two or three brightest stars are lined up roughly horizontally, well below the stars of Andromeda.

Wednesday, October 2 • Have you ever seen the "false dawn," the morning zodiacal light? This is sunlight reflected from interplanetary dust orbiting in the plane of the solar system. The next two weeks offer a fine opportunity for Northern Hemisphere skywatchers. See the September Sky & Telescope, page 54. Thursday, October 3 • Jupiter is up in the east by midnight or 1 a.m. and climbs higher until dawn Friday morning. Tonight it's just 0.1° from Delta Geminorum, magnitude 3.5 (you may need binoculars). Delta Gem is more than a magnitude brighter than Ganymede, Jupiter's brightest satellite much closer in. Friday, October 4 • Even as the stars begin to come out in twilight, Cassiopeia is already higher now in the northeast than the sinking Big Dipper is in the northwest. And Cassiopeia's broad W pattern is almost standing on end. • New Moon (exact at 8:35 p.m. EDT).

ISS Sighting Opportunities

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

ISS For Denver:

VISIBLE (MIN) MAX HEIGHT (DEG)

APPEARS(DEG)

DISAPPEARS(DEG)

Mon Sep 30, 4:58 AM 2 min 25° 24 above N 20 above ENE

Mon Sep 30, 6:32 AM 3 min 38° 10 above WNW 38 above WSW

Tue Oct 1, 5:44 AM 5 min 79° 23 above WNW 11 above SE

Wed Oct 2, 4:58 AM 2 min 42° 42 above E 10 above ESE

Wed Oct 2, 6:32 AM 4 min 14° 10 above W 10 above SSW

Thu Oct 3, 5:46 AM 3 min 25° 25 above SW 10 above S

Fri Oct 4, 5:01 AM < 1 min 13° 13 above SSE 10 above SSE

NASA-TV Highlights

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

October 1, Tuesday9 a.m. - 1 p.m. - Asteroid Initiative Ideas Synthesis Workshop -- Grand Challenge Panel - Crowd Sourcing & Citizen Science - HQ/LPI (Public and Education Channels)9:35 a.m. - ISS Expedition 37 In-Flight Event with KSTP-TV, Minneapolis - JSC/HQ (Media Channel)11 a.m. - Space Station Live - JSC (Media Channel)2:30 - 6 p.m. - Asteroid Initiative Ideas Synthesis Workshop -- Asteroid Capture Systems - HQ/LPI (All Channels)

October 2, Wednesday9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. - Asteroid Initiative Ideas Synthesis Workshop - Plenary Session - HQ/LPI (Public and Media Channels)11 a.m. - Space Station Live - JSC (Media Channel)

October 3, Thursday10:40 a.m. - ISS Expedition 37 In-Flight Event for ESA - JSC (All Channels)

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

Sep 30 - [Sep 30] Astra 2E Proton M-Briz M Launch Sep 30 - Comet 32P/Comas Sola At Opposition (2.628 AU) Sep 30 - Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak At Opposition (3.785 AU) Sep 30 - Asteroid 2002 NV16 Near-Earth Flyby (0.036 AU) Sep 30 - Asteroid 1981 Midas Closest Approach To Earth (0.286 AU) Sep 30 - Asteroid 18728 Grammier Closest Approach To Earth (1.865 AU) Oct 01 - [Sep 24] Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) Near-Mars Flyby (0.07 AU) Oct 01 - Comet P/2010 H2 (Vales) At Opposition (3.604 AU) Oct 01 - Asteroid 2008 SZ150 Near-Earth Flyby (0.065 AU) Oct 01 - Asteroid 5392 Parker Closest Approach To Earth (2.059 AU) Oct 01 - NASA's 55th Birthday (1958) Oct 02 - Asteroid 329437 (2002 OA22) Near-Earth Flyby (0.036 AU) Oct 02 - Asteroid 7645 Pons Closest Approach To Earth (1.361 AU) Oct 02 - Asteroid 19631 Greensleeves Closest Approach To Earth (1.387 AU) Oct 02-05 - Enchanted Skies Star Party, Socorro, New Mexico Oct 03 - Uranus At Opposition Oct 03 - Asteroid 2013 RU9 Near-Earth Flyby (0.089 AU) Oct 03 - Asteroid 149 Medusa Closest Approach To Earth (1.065 AU) Oct 03 - Asteroid 1816 Liberia Closest Approach To Earth (1.600 AU) Oct 03-06 - Prairie Skies Star Party, Bourbonnais, Illinois Oct 03-06 - South Jersey Astrononmy Club (SJAC) Fall Star Party, Woodbine, New Jersey Oct 04 - Asteroid 9766 Bradbury Closest Approach To Earth (1.484 AU) Oct 04 - Asteroid 4559 Strauss Closest Approach To Earth (1.747 AU)

Food for ThoughtNASA's Cassini Spacecraft Finds

Ingredient of Household Plastic in Space

Space Image of the Week

The Soyuz TMA-10M spacecraft: Image Credit: NASA

Soyuz Spacecraft Approaches International Space Station