Space News Update- September 26, 2011 -

In the News

Story 1: China set to ‘Leap Forward in Space’ as Tiangong 1 Rolls to Launch Pad

Story 2:Final Grave of Fallen NASA Satellite May Stay a Mystery

Story 3: Primitive Black Holes Could Shine Light on Dark Matter

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

China set to ‘Leap Forward in Space’ as Tiangong 1 Rolls to

Launch Pad

Final Grave of Fallen NASA Satellite May Stay a Mystery

Primitive Black Holes Could Shine Light on Dark Matter

The Night SkyMonday, Sept. 26 · With even a small telescope, you can watch Jupiter's moon Io disappear into eclipse by Jupiter's shadow around 12:04 a.m. Tuesday morning Eastern Daylight Time. Io will be barely off the planet's western limb. · Tuesday, Sept. 27 · Sometime between about 8:30 and 10 p.m., depending on where you live in your time zone, bright Arcturus low in the west-northwest will sink to exactly the same height as bright Capella has risen to in the northeast. How accurately can you time this event? · New Moon (exact at 7:09 a.m. EDT).

Wednesday, Sept. 28 · In bright twilight just 15 minutes after sunset, a telescope may show Saturn less than 2° above much-brighter Venus extremely low in the west. A very thin crescent Moon is setting 12° to their left. Look for Spica twinkling between the planets and the Moon. Good luck.  Thursday, Sept. 29 · Jupiter's Great Red Spot (actually pale orange) should cross Jupiter's central meridian around 1:09 a.m. Friday morning Eastern Daylight Time.

Friday, Sept. 30 · Once Mars is up in the early-morning hours Saturday morning, Binoculars or a telescope will show that it's passing through the Beehive Star Cluster, M44 in Cancer, as shown above.

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 Tue Sep 27/05:37 AM 3 14 12 above NW 10 above NNE

ISSWed Sep 28/04:41 AM

< 1 12 12 above NNE 10 above NNE

ISSWed Sep 28/06:15 AM

< 1 10 10 above N 10 above N

ISS Thu Sep 29/05:16 AM 1 1111 above NNW

10 above N

NASA-TV Highlights

September 27, Tuesday11:10 a.m. - ISS Expedition 29 In-Flight Educational Event with the Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology Conference at the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburgh, TX - JSC (All Channels)

September 28, Wednesday6:20 a.m. - IISS Expedition 29 In-Flight Event for JAXA for Tensai TV/NHK - JSC (Public, HD and Media Channels)

September 29, Thursday1 p.m. - NASA Science News Briefing on WISE Mission - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)

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

Space Calendar· Sep 26 - Asteroid 5029 Ireland Closest Approach To Earth (1.683 AU) · Sep 27 - TacSat 4 Minotaur 4 Launch · Sep 27 - Asteroid 433 Eros Occults 2UCAC 46537735 (11.8 Magnitude Star) · Sep 27 - Asteroid 2011 SE58 Near-Earth Flyby (0.002 AU) · Sep 27 - Asteroid 42981 Jenniskens Closest Approach To Earth (1.770 AU) · Sep 27 - Asteroid 8353 Megryan Closest Approach To Earth (2.055 AU) · Sep 28 - Cassini, Distant Flyby of Titan · Sep 28 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #292 (OTM-292) · Sep 28 - Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova Perihelion (0.530 AU) · Sep 28 - Asteroid 433 Eros Occults 2UCAC 46673728 (13.0 Magnitude Star) & 2UCAC 46673816 (12.2 Magnitude Star) · Sep 28 - Asteroid 2009 SH2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.077 AU) · Sep 28 - 40th Anniversary (1971), Luna 19 Launch (USSR Moon Orbiter) · Sep 28 - 60th Anniversary (1951), Seth Nicholson's Discovery of Jupiter Moon Ananke · Sep 29 - Tian Gong 1 CZ-2F/T1 Launch (1st Chinese Space Station) · Sep 29 - QuezSat 1 Proton M-Briz M Launch · Sep 29 - Comet 48P/Johnson Perihelion (2.301 AU) · Sep 29 - Asteroid 2011 SO5 Near-Earth Flyby (0.014 AU) · Sep 29 - Asteroid 2011 ST12 Near-Earth Flyby (0.027 AU) · Sep 29 - Asteroid 2011 SQ5 Near-Earth Flyby (0.038 AU) · Sep 29 - Asteroid 3356 Resnik Closest Approach To Earth (1.234 AU) · Sep 30 - Cassini, Distant Flyby of Titan · Sep 30 - Comet 36P/Whipple Closest Approach To Earth (2.119 AU) · Sep 30 - Comet C/2008 S3 (Boattini) Closest Approach To Earth (7.075 AU) · Sep 30 - Asteroid 2011 SN25 Near-Earth Flyby (0.034 AU) · Sep 30 - Asteroid 6433 Enya Closest Approach To Earth (0.983 AU) · Sep 30 - Asteroid 991 McDonalda Closest Approach To Earth (1.820 AU)

JPL Space Calendar

Food for ThoughtNaughty 'Faster Than Light' Neutrinos a

Reality? 

Space Image of the Week

Sunset with the Massive Sun Spot 1302 (Upper left on the Sun) Credit: Adrian Scott