Space News Update- October 22, 2013 -

In the News

Story 1: India’s First Mars Mission Set to Blast off Seeking Methane Signature

Story 2:Sky Survey Captures Key Details of Cosmic Explosions

Story 3: Gaia Sunshield Passes Final Exam

Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

India’s First Mars Mission Set to Blast off Seeking Methane

Signature

Sky Survey Captures Key Details of Cosmic Explosions

Gaia Sunshield Passes Final Exam

The Night Sky

Sky & Telescope

• Tuesday, October 22 It's October — so have you tried to spot the companion of Sirius yet? Accompanying Sirius is the first-discovered white dwarf, 1/10,000 as bright and currently 10.0 arcseconds to its east. Early dawn in October is an excellent time to look for it, for reasons that Alan Whitman explains in the October Sky & Telescope, page 30.

•Wednesday, October 23 Below the feet of Aquarius, off the eastern end of Capricornus, are the Helix Nebula and a crowd of lesser-known galaxies. Now that the Moon is gone from the after-dinner sky, explore them with your telescope using Sue French's Deep-Sky Wonders column, chart, and photos in the October Sky & Telescope, page 56.

•Thursday, October 24 The Moon rises around 10 or 11 tonight (depending on where you are), with bright Jupiter to its left or lower left. Farther left is Pollux, with Castor above it. By the beginning of dawn Friday morning, they're all high in the south (above Procyon).

• Friday, October 25 Staying out late tonight? Keep an eye to the low east-northeast for Jupiter rising around 11 or

midnight (depending on your location). Castor and Pollux shine to its left. About 45 minutes later, the waning gibbous Moon follows it up. And then once the Moon is well up, look to the Moon's lower right for Procyon.

• Saturday, October 26 Last-quarter Moon (exactly so at 7:40 p.m. EDT). The Moon rises around midnight or 1 a.m. local

time tonight, in dim Cancer below Jupiter and Gemini.

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 22, 6:34 PM 2 min 11° 10 above NNW 10 above NNE

Tue Oct 22, 8:10 PM 1 min 16° 10 above NW 16 above NNW

Wed Oct 23, 7:22 PM 3 min 21° 11 above NNW 21 above NNE

Thu Oct 24, 6:34 PM 4 min 16° 10 above NNW 10 above ENE

Thu Oct 24, 8:10 PM 2 min 28° 10 above NW 28 above NW

Fri Oct 25, 7:22 PM 4 min 45° 10 above NW 41 above ENE

Sat Oct 26, 6:34 PM 6 min 29° 10 above NW 11 above E

Sat Oct 26, 8:12 PM < 1 min 29° 22 above W 29 above WSW

Sun Oct 27, 7:23 PM 4 min 61° 15 above WNW 25 above SSE

NASA-TV Highlights

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

October 22, Tuesday7 a.m. – Coverage of the Unberthing and Release of the Orbital Sciences/Cygnus Cargo Ship from the ISS (Release scheduled at 7:30 a.m. EDT) – JSC (All Channels)

12:00 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 38/39 Crew News Conference at Star City, Russia - JSC (All Channels)

October 23, Wednesday10:45 a.m. – ISS Expedition 37 Educational In-Flight Event with the Henning, MN School District – JSC (All Channels)

October 24, Thursday10:45 a.m. – ISS Expedition 37 In-Flight Event for ESA to Commemorate the “Albert Einstein” Automated Transfer Vehicle-4 – JSC(Public and Media Channels)

October 25, Friday5:30 a.m. – Video B-roll Feed of Expedition 38/39 NASA Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio – JSC (All Channels)

6 - 7 a.m. - Live Interviews with ISS Expedition 38/39 Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio from Star City, Russia - JSC (All Channels)

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

• Oct 22 - Comet 214P/LINEAR At Opposition (3.754 AU)• Oct 22 - Asteroid 10001 Palermo Closest Approach To Earth (1.070 AU)• Oct 23 - [Oct 19] Cygnus Reenters Earth's Atmosphere• Oct 23 - Asteroid 2010 VP21 Near-Earth Flyby (0.086 AU)• Oct 23 - Asteroid 2012 ER14 Near-Earth Flyby (0.088 AU)• Oct 23 - Asteroid 5256 Farquhar Closest Approach To Earth (1.458 AU)• Oct 23 - Kuiper Belt Object 15760 (1992 QB1) At Opposition (40.188 AU)• Oct 24 - Comet 292P/Li Closest Approach To Earth (1.808 AU)• Oct 24 - Asteroid 2013 TO69 Near-Earth Flyby (0.053 AU)• Oct 24 - Asteroid 2008 LH2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.083 AU)• Oct 24 - 15th Anniversary (1998), Deep Space 1 Launch• Oct 25 - Asteroid 1 Ceres Occults TYC 0865-00911-1 (10.0 Magnitude Star)• Oct 25 - Asteroid 41 Daphne Occults HIP 97157 (6.7 Magnitude Star)• Oct 25 - Asteroid 9777 Enterprise Closest Approach To Earth (1.439 AU)• Oct 25 - Asteroid 6154 Stevesynnott Closest Approach To Earth (1.520 AU)• Oct 25 - Asteroid 32096 Puckett Closest Approach To Earth (1.462 AU)• Oct 26 - Comet P/2013 N5 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (1.404 AU)• Oct 26 - Comet C/2013 S1 (Catalina) Closest Approach To Earth (2.005 AU)• Oct 26 - Comet 119P/Parker-Hartley At Opposition (2.148 AU)• Oct 26 - Asteroid 2013 TY5 Near-Earth Flyby (0.082 AU)

Food for ThoughtCelebrating the Legacy of ESA’s Planck Mission

Space Image of the Week

Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/NASA/ESA/F. Combes

ALMA Peers Into Giant Black Hole Jets