Space News Update- August 5, 2014 -

In the News

Story 1: New Image Captures one of the Brightest Volcanoes Ever Seen in the Solar System

Story 2:Rosetta Probe Swoops Closer to Comet Destination than ISS is to Earth and Reveals

Exquisite Views

Story 3: NASA’s Fermi space telescope reveals new source of gamma rays

Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV HighlightsSpace CalendarFood for Thought

Space Image of the Week

New Image Captures one of the Brightest Volcanoes Ever Seen in the

Solar System

Rosetta Probe Swoops Closer to Comet Destination than ISS is to Earth

and Reveals Exquisite Views

NASA’s Fermi space telescope reveals new source of gamma rays

The Night SkyTuesday, August 5Look below the Moon this evening for the red supergiant Antares, as shown at right. Around Antares and to its right are other stars of upper Scorpius.

Wednesday, August 6Antares is well to the lower right of the Moon this evening, as shown here. More than twice as far to the Moon's upper left shines Altair.

Thursday, August 7Vega is the brightest star very high in the east after dusk, almost overhead. The brightest in the southeast is Altair, nearly as bright. Altair is flagged by little Tarazed (3rd magnitude) a finger-width above it: an orange giant far in Altair's background.

Friday, August 8Look northeast as the stars come out for W-shaped Cassiopeia. It's still not as high as the Big Dipper is in the northwest, but the two are on their way to their dusk balance point week by week. Get a preview of this by checking on them around 11 p.m. (depending on your location).

Saturday, August 9If you're in the Earth's mid-northern latitudes, bright Vega crosses close by the zenith around 10 or 11 p.m. (depending on where you are east-west in your time zone). Wherever you are, Deneb always passes the zenith two hours after Vega

Sky & Telescope

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 Aug 5, 8:44 PM 6 min 79° 10 above SW 11 above NE Tue Aug 5, 10:25 PM 2 min 18° 18 above NNW 10 above NNE Wed Aug 6, 9:36 PM 3 min 25° 25 above NNW 10 above NNE Wed Aug 6, 11:13 PM 1 min 11° 11 above N 10 above NNE Thu Aug 7, 8:46 PM 3 min 38° 37 above NW 11 above NE Thu Aug 7, 10:24 PM 1 min 12° 12 above NNW 10 above NNE Fri Aug 8, 9:35 PM 2 min 15° 15 above NNW 11 above NNE Fri Aug 8, 11:12 PM 1 min 10° 10 above N 10 above NNE Sat Aug 9, 8:45 PM 2 min 19° 19 above NNW 11 above NNE Sat Aug 9, 10:23 PM 1 min 10° 10 above N 10 above NNE

NASA-TV Highlights(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

1:45 p.m., Wednesday, August 6 - ISS Expedition 40 In-Flight Interviews with WYPR Maryland Public Radio and Maryland Public Television with Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman (all channels) 12:25 p.m., Thursday, August 7 - ISS Expedition 40 In-Flight Interviews with ABC News and CBS News with Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst (all channels)

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

Aug 05 - Comet 193P/LINEAR-NEAT Closest Approach To Earth (1.320 AU) Aug 05 - Asteroid 83360 Catalina Closest Approach To Earth (1.292 AU) Aug 05 - Asteroid 30444 Shemp Closest Approach To Earth (1.350 AU) Aug 05 - Asteroid 7032 Hitchcock Closest Approach To Earth (1.435 AU) Aug 05 - Asteroid 6442 Salzburg Closest Approach To Earth (1.585 AU) Aug 05 - 45th Anniversary (1969), Mariner 7 Mars Flyby Aug 06 - [Jul 30] Rosetta, Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Orbit Insertion Aug 06 - Southern Iota Aquarids Meteor Shower Peak Aug 06 - [Aug 01] Asteroid 2014 OV299 Near-Earth Flyby (0.024 AU) Aug 06 - Asteroid 11885 Summanus Closest Approach To Earth (1.517 AU) Aug 06 - Asteroid 11945 Amsterdam Closest Approach To Earth (1.664 AU) Aug 06 - Asteroid 8657 Cedrus Closest Approach To Earth (1.865 AU) Aug 06 - Asteroid 2906 Caltech Closest Approach To Earth (2.095 AU) Aug 06 - Asteroid 5731 Zeus Closest Approach To Earth (2.731 AU) Aug 07 - Yamal 401 Proton-M Briz-M Launch Aug 07 - Comet P/2014 L3 (Hill) At Opposition (0.892 AU) Aug 07 - Asteroid 16 Psyche At Opposition (9.3 Magnitude) Aug 07 - [Aug 02] Asteroid 2014 OF300 Near-Earth Flyby (0.010 AU) Aug 07 - 45th Anniversary (1969), Andreevka Meteorite Fall (Hit House in USSR) Aug 08 - Comet 289P/Blanpain Closest Approach To Earth (1.512 AU) Aug 08 - Comet 174P/Echeclus At Opposition (4.934 AU) Aug 08 - [Jul 27] 25th Anniversary (1989), STS-28 Launch (Space Shuttle Columbia, DOD Mission) Aug 08 - 45th Anniversary (1969), Zond 7 Launch (Soviet Moon Mission) Aug 09 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #387 (OTM-387) Aug 09 - Comet C/2012 X1 (LINEAR) At Opposition (1.773 AU) Aug 09 - Asteroid 4 Vesta Occults TYC 5555-00069-1 (11.9 Magnitude Star) Aug 09 - Asteroid 246913 Slocum Closest Approach To Earth (1.226 AU) Aug 09 - Asteroid 8734 Warner Closest Approach To Earth (1.801 AU) Aug 09 - Asteroid 11548 Jerrylewis Closest Approach To Earth (2.024 AU)

Food for ThoughtAsteroid attacks significantly altered

ancient Earth

Space Image of the Week

Image Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA

Shadows and Plumes Across Enceladus