Space News Update- July 18, 2014 -

In the News

Story 1: OCO-2 Data to Lead Scientists Forward into the Past

Story 2:

Lunar Pits Could Shelter Astronauts

Story 3: Venus Express Rises Again

Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

OCO-2 Data to Lead ScientistsForward into the Past

Lunar Pits Could Shelter Astronauts

Venus Express Rises Again

The Night Sky

Sky & Telescope

Friday, July 18

Last-quarter Moon (exact at 10:08 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time). The Moon rises around midnight tonight, shining in Pisces.

Early Saturday morning before dawn, the faint asteroid 611 Valeria will occult an 8.7-magnitude star in Pisces for observers along a track crossing northern Mexico, Texas, the Deep South (including the Atlanta area) and the Carolinas. Details, times, finder chart. Saturday, July 19

Mars at dusk is still slightly less than 3° (two finger widths at arm's length) from Spica in the southwestern sky. But they're widening and sinking lower day by day. Sunday, July 20

In a 6- or 8-inch telescope, globular star clusters are among the most beautiful objects in the night and certainly among the eeriest. This is their season. Monday, July 21

As dawn begins very early early Tuesday morning the 22nd, look for Aldebaran near the waning crescent Moon in the east as shown to the right. Can you catch the Hyades stars before dawn gets too bright?

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

Sat Jul 19, 3:22 AM 2 min 35° 35 above ESE 13 above ENE

Sat Jul 19, 4:56 AM 4 min 26° 11 above W 20 above N

Sun Jul 20, 2:35 AM < 1 min 12° 12 above E 10 above E

Sun Jul 20, 4:09 AM 3 min 39° 28 above WNW 24 above NNE

Mon Jul 21, 3:22 AM 1 min 58° 58 above N 25 above NE

Mon Jul 21, 4:57 AM 3 min 15° 10 above NW 12 above NNE

- - - - -

NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Time Zone)

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013NASAMAVEN Launch November 18, 2013NASAMAVEN Launch November 18, 2013NASA

Monday, July 21

10:15 a.m., Renaming Ceremony for the KSC Operations and Checkout Building (includes in-flight downlink from the ISS at 10:25 a.m. ET) (all channels)

11:30 a.m., Space Station Live (all channels)

5:30 p.m., Coverage of the ISS Progress 55 Cargo Ship Undocking from the ISS (all channels)  

Space Calendar

JPL Space Calendar

Jul 18 - Comet 175P/Hergenrother At Opposition (2.413 AU)

Jul 18 - Comet P/2007 V2 (Hill) Closest Approach To Earth (2.687 AU)

Jul 18 - Comet P/2010 H5 (Scotti) Closest Approach To Earth (6.146 AU)

Jul 18 - Asteroid 2014 MJ6 Near-Earth Flyby (0.088 AU)

Jul 18 - Asteroid 11066 Sigurd Closest Approach To Earth (0.789 AU)

Jul 19 - Comet 287P/Christensen At Opposition (2.156 AU)

Jul 19 - Comet 82P/Gehrels Closest Approach To Earth (3.632 AU)

Jul 19 - Comet 82P/Gehrels At Opposition (3.632 AU)

Jul 19 - Comet 31P/Schwassmann-Wachmann At Opposition (4.005 AU)

Jul 19 - Comet C/2014 M1 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (5.316 AU)

Jul 19 - Carlsbad Caverns National Park Star Party, Carlsbad, New Mexico

Jul 20 -[Jul 13] Cassini, Titan Flyby

Jul 20 -[Jul 15] 45th Anniversary (1969), 1st Man On The Moon (Apollo 11)

Jul 20 - Comet 106P/Schuster Perihelion (1.546 AU)

Jul 20 - Comet 283P/Spacewatch At Opposition (2.880 AU)

Jul 20 - Comet 128P-B/Shoemaker-Holt At Opposition (4.003 AU)

Jul 20 - Asteroid 7222 Alekperov Occults HIP 86060 (6.5 Magnitude Star)

Jul 20 - Asteroid 12432 Usuda Closest Approach To Earth (2.074 AU)

Jul 20 - 15th Anniversary (1999), Retrieval Of Liberty Bell 7 Capsule From Ocean Floor

Jul 21 - Comet 256P/LINEAR At Opposition (3.054 AU)

Jul 21 - Comet P/2013 G4 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (3.062 AU)

Jul 21 - Comet 128P-B/Shoemaker-Holt At Opposition (4.000 AU)

Jul 21 - Comet 258P/PANSTARRS At Opposition (4.078 AU)

Jul 21 - Comet P/2010 H5 (McNaught) At Opposition (6.148 AU)

Jul 21 - 100th Anniversary (1914), Seth Nicholson's Discovery of Jupiter Moon

Liberty Bell 7 after recovery in 1999.

Food for Thought

45 Years Ago: July 20, 1969: One Giant Leap For Mankind

New Technique Puts Exoplanets on the ScaleNew Technique Puts Exoplanets on the Scale

Space Image of the Week

Aldrin Gazes at Tranquility BaseApollo 11 landed on the lunar surface 45 years ago on July 20, 1969.

Image credit: NASA