Space News Update- February 13, 2012 -

In the News

Story 1: Scientists Find New Clues About the Interiors of ‘Super-Earth’ Exoplanets

Story 2:Planck All-Sky Images Show Cold Gas and Strange Haze

Story 3: Asteroids cause black hole's X-ray hiccups

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV HighlightsSpace CalendarFood for Thought

Space Image of the Week

Scientists Find New Clues About the Interiors of ‘Super-Earth’

Exoplanets

Planck All-Sky Images Show Cold Gas and Strange Haze

Asteroids cause black hole's X-ray hiccups

The Night SkyMonday, February 13 · Action at Jupiter: Io reappears out of eclipse from Jupiter's shadow around 9:06 p.m. EST. A small telescope will show Io gradually swelling into view just off Jupiter's eastern limb. Four hours later, at 10:03 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, Europa emerges from eclipse at about the same location. Meanwhile, the Great Red Spot crosses Jupiter's central meridian around 10:21 p.m. EST (7:21 p.m. PST).  Tuesday, February 14 · Venus, blazing in the southwest, is certainly the patron planet of Valentine's Day. As the stars come out, look to Venus's right by about two fist-widths at arm's length for the Great Square of Pegasus, which is standing on one corner. · Algol should be at minimum light for a couple hours centered on 7:40 p.m. EST.

Wednesday, February 15 · Brilliant Sirius shines highest due south around 9 p.m., depending on how far east or west you live in your time zone.

Thursday, February 16 · With your telescope, have you ever sought out the three subtle star clusters in Orion's Shield? Find them using Sue French's Deep-Sky Wonders article, chart, and photos in the February Sky & Telescope, page 54.

Friday, February 17 · This is the time of year when, after dinnertime, the W pattern of Cassiopeia stands vertically on end high in the northwest.

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 Mon Feb 13/06:44 PM 4 87 16 above SW 30 above NE

ISS Tue Feb 14/07:24 PM 1 24 18 above WNW24 above NNW

ISS Wed Feb 15/06:28 PM 4 44 32 above W 11 above NE

ISS Thu Feb 16/07:07 PM 2 16 13 above NW 15 above N

ISS Fri Feb 17/06:11 PM 4 25 21 above WNW10 above NNE

NASA-TV Highlights February 13, Monday2 p.m. - NASA Budget News Conference - HQ (All Channels)

February 14, Tuesday6 a.m. - Replay of ISS Update Commentary Hour - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)7 a.m. - Interview with Expedition 28/29 Flight Engineer/Commander Michael Fossum (48:17) – 8 a.m. - Interview with Expedition 26/27 Flight Engineer Catherine “Cady” Coleman Ph.D. (36:11) 8:40 a.m. - Interview with Expedition 27/28 Flight Engineer Ronald Garan, Jr (40:13) 9:20 a.m. - ISS Expedition 30 ESA In-Flight Event with ZDF Television, Germany – 10:30 a.m. - Presentation by Expedition 26,27, 28 and 29 Crew Members – 11:30 a.m. - ISS Update Commentary Hour - JSC (Public, HD and Media Channels)12:30 p.m. - NASA Television Video File - HQ (Public, HD and Media Channels)2 p.m. - NASA Tweet Up with Ron Garan - HQ (Public, HD and Education Channels)

February 15, Wednesday9:55 a.m. - ISS Expedition 30 Educational In-Flight Event with the Crayton Middle School in Columbia, S.C. –

February 16, Thursday8:45 a.m. - ISS Russian Spacewalk Coverage (Spacewalk is scheduled to begin at 9:15 a.m. ET)

February 17, Friday10 a.m. - Kennedy Space Center Celebrates the 50Th Anniversary of Orbital Flight with Senator John Glenn and Astronaut Scott Carpenter - KSC (All Channels)

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

Space Calendar

· Feb 13 - Laser Relativity Satellite (LARES)/ Cubesats/ PW-Sat 1/ Vega Launch (Inaugural Vega Launch), Successful · Feb 13 - Asteroid 50240 Cortina Closest Approach To Earth (1.266 AU) · Feb 13 - Asteroid 9998 ISO Closest Approach To Earth (1.285 AU) · Feb 13 - John Dreyer's 160th Birthday (1852) · Feb 14 - SES-4 Proton M-Briz M Launch · Feb 14 - Mercury Passes 1.3 Degrees From Neptune · Feb 14 - Asteroid 3 Juno Occults TYC 5616-00118-1 (11.7 Magnitude Star) · Feb 14 - Asteroid 30857 Parsec Closest Approach To Earth (1.101 AU) · Feb 14 - Asteroid 85386 Payton Closest Approach To Earth (1.982 AU) · Feb 14 - 40th Anniversary (1972), Luna 20 Launch (Soviet Moon Sample Return) · · Feb 15 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #310 (OTM-310) · Feb 15 - Comet 198P/ODAS Perihelion (1.997 AU) · Feb 16 - Mobile User Objective System (MUOS 1) Atlas 5 Launch · Feb 16 - Asteroid 19398 Creedence Closest Approach To Earth (1.744 AU) · Feb 16 - Asteroid 243 Ida Closest Approach To Earth (1.837 AU) · Feb 16 - Asteroid 3526 Jeffbell Closest Approach To Earth (2.019 AU) · Feb 16 - Asteroid 3780 Maury Closest Approach To Earth (2.066 AU) · Feb 17 - Comet C/2011 L2 (McNaught) Closest Approach To Earth (1.899 AU) · Feb 17 - Asteroid 433 Eros Occults TYC 6067-01100-1 (10.0 Magnitude Star) · Feb 17 - Asteroid 1993 DA Near-Earth Flyby (0.041 AU) · Feb 17 - Asteroid 1221 Amor Closest Approach To Earth (0.736 AU)q · Feb 17 - Asteroid 136 Austria Closest Approach To Earth (1.503 AU)

JPL Space Calendar

Food for ThoughtAntarctica's Lake Vostok is Test Case for Exploring Icy

Jupiter Moon

Space Image of the Week