Space News Update
- April 22, 2014 In the News
Story 1:
SpaceX Makes Strides Towards 1st Stage Falcon Rocket Recovery during Space Station
Launch
Story 2:
Bright Points in Sun's Atmosphere Mark Patterns Deep In Its Interior
Story 3:
US Leading the Path to Mars: NASA Chief Charles Bolden (Op-Ed)
Departments
The Night Sky
ISS Sighting Opportunities
Space Calendar
NASA-TV Highlights
Food for Thought
Space Image of the Week
SpaceX Makes Strides Towards 1st
Stage Falcon Rocket Recovery during
Space Station Launch
Bright Points in Sun's Atmosphere
Mark Patterns Deep In Its Interior
US Leading the Path to Mars: NASA
Chief Charles Bolden (Op-Ed)
The Night Sky
Tuesday, April 22
• Bright Jupiter, high in the west at dusk, forms the top of a
huge, sideways-compressed pentagon with other bright
celestial landmarks. Look left of Jupiter for Procyon, far below
Procyon for bright Sirius, to the right of Sirius and somewhat
lower for Rigel in Orion's foot, then above Rigel for
Betelgeuse, and back to Jupiter.
Wednesday, April 23
• As soon as twilight fades out, look moderately low in the westnorthwest (far below Capella) for the little Pleiades star cluster,
the size of your fingertip at arm's length. How much later
through the spring can you follow the Pleiades before they're
lost in the sunset?
Thursday, April 24
• During dawn tomorrow morning (the 25th), look below the
waning crescent Moon for Venus, as shown at right. Think
photo opportunity!
Friday, April 25
• At dawn Saturday morning, spot the thin crescent Moon low in
the east left of Venus.
Saturday, April 26
• Brilliant Mars has been drawing closer to Gamma Virginis
(Porrima), magnitude 2.7. Look for it about 2° to Mars's upper
right after dark. They'll appear closest (1.4° apart) on May 4th
and 5th. Gamma Vir is a fine, tight telescopic double star with
a current separation of 2.1 arcseconds. Take a look at it with
your scope at high power after you're done with Mars!
Sky & Telescope
ISS Sighting Opportunities
ISS For Denver:
Date
Visible
Max Height
Appears
Disappears
Tue Apr 22, 9:03 PM
3 min
84°
35 above NW
32 above SE
Wed Apr 23, 8:14 PM
5 min
54°
27 above NNW
11 above ESE
Wed Apr 23, 9:50 PM
2 min
15°
11 above W
15 above SW
Thu Apr 24, 9:03 PM
3 min
27°
20 above W
15 above S
Fri Apr 25, 8:14 PM
4 min
49°
37 above W
10 above SSE
Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information
MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013
NASA
NASA-TV Highlights
(all times Eastern Time Zone)
April 22, Tuesday
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. - NASA’s Path to Mars Humans to Mars Summit 2014 from George Washington
University - HQ (NTV1, NTV-2)
April 23, Wednesday
4:45 a.m. - Coverage of the First Undocking of the ISS Progress 53 from the ISS (Undocking scheduled
at 4:58 a.m. ET) - JSC (NTV-1, NTV-3)
8:30 a.m. - ISS Expedition 39 Spacewalk Coverage (Spacewalk begins at 9:20 a.m. ET) - JSC (NTV1, NTV-3)
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. - NASA’s Path to Mars Humans to Mars Summit 2014 from George Washington
University - HQ (NTV-2)
April 24, Thursday
9 a.m. - 8 p.m. - Live coverage for FIRST Robotic Championship from St. Louis, Missouri - HQ (NTV-2)
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. - NASA’s Path to Mars – Humans to Mars Summit 2014 from George Washington
University - HQ (NTV-1)
11:50 a.m. - ISS Expedition 39 In-Flight Educational Event with the Air Force Academy, Colorado
Springs, CO - JSC (NTV-3)
April 25, Friday
7:45 a.m. - Coverage of the Redocking of the ISS Progress 53 to the ISS (Redocking scheduled at 8:16
a.m. ET) - JSC (All Channels)
8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Live coverage for FIRST Robotic Championship from St. Louis, Missouri - HQ
(NTV-2)
Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website
Space Calendar
• Apr 22 - Earth Day
• Apr 22 - Lyrids Meteor Shower Peak
• Apr 22 - Comet 134P/Kowal-Vavrova At Opposition (1.578 AU)
• Apr 22 - Asteroid 2008 EZ5 Near-Earth Flyby (0.099 AU)
• Apr 22 - Asteroid 3831 Pettengill Closest Approach To Earth (1.125 AU)
• Apr 22 - Asteroid 5066 Garradd Closest Approach To Earth (1.312 AU)
• Apr 22 - Asteroid 73491 Robmatson Closest Approach To Earth (1.584 AU)
• Apr 23 - Comet P/2001 Q11 (NEAT) Perihelion (1.954 AU)
• Apr 23 - Comet 208P/McMillan At Opposition (3.706 AU)
• Apr 23 - Comet P/2007 R3 (Gibbs) At Opposition (3.822 AU)
• Apr 23 - Asteroid 304330 (2006 SX217) Near-Earth Flyby (0.032 AU)
• Apr 23 - Asteroid 17744 Jodiefoster Closest Approach To Earth (1.813 AU)
• Apr 23 - Asteroid 9954 Brachiosaurus Closest Approach To Earth (2.101 AU)
• Apr 24 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #378 (OTM-378)
• Apr 24 - Comet 300P/Catalina Closest Approach To Earth (0.863 AU)
• Apr 24 - Asteroid 10195 Nebraska Closest Approach To Earth (2.330 AU)
• Apr 24 - Kuiper Belt Object 2010 EK139 At Opposition (36.848 AU)
• Apr 25 - Comet P/2010 R2 (La Sagra) Closest Approach To Earth (2.364 AU)
• Apr 25 - Asteroid 1602 Indiana Closest Approach To Earth (1.135 AU)
• Apr 25 - Asteroid 9305 Hazard Closest Approach To Earth (1.242 AU)
• Apr 25 - Asteroid 4327 Ries Closest Approach To Earth (2.048 AU)
• Apr 25 - Asteroid 1373 Cincinnati Closest Approach To Earth (3.760 AU)
• Apr 25 - 45th Anniversary (1969), Bovedy Meteorite Fall (Hit Store in Ireland)
• Apr 26 - Comet P/2014 E1 (Larson) At Opposition (1.145 AU)
• Apr 26 - Comet 134P/Kowal-Vavrova Closest Approach To Earth (1.575 AU)
• Apr 26 - Comet C/2013 N4 (Borisov) At Opposition (2.714 AU)
• Apr 26 - Asteroid 2160 Spitzer Closest Approach To Earth (2.066 AU)
• Apr 26 - Asteroid 5000 IAU Closest Approach To Earth (2.194 AU)
JPL Space Calendar
New Technique Puts Exoplanets on the Scale
Food for Thought
Odd Tilts Could Make More Worlds Habitable
Space Image of the Week
Waterton Lake Eclipse
Image Credit & Copyright: Yuichi Takasaka / TWAN / www.blue-moon.ca
)