Space News Update- January 6, 2012 -

In the News

Story 1: Wanted: Meteorites from Mercury

Story 2: Bits of Russia space probe set to fall Jan. 15

Story 3: New Research Casts Doubt on the Late Heavy Bombardment

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

Space CalendarNASA-TV Highlights

Food for ThoughtSpace Image of the Week

Wanted: Meteorites from Mercury

Bits of Russia space probe set to fall Jan. 15

New Research Casts Doubt on the Late Heavy Bombardment

The Night Sky

Friday, January 6· The Moon tonight shines between the horns of Taurus. The horn tip stars are Beta Tauri, to the Moon's left in early evening for North America, and Zeta Tauri (slightly fainter) to the Moon's lower left.· Jupiter's Great Red Spot crosses Jupiter's central meridian around 8:47 p.m. EST. (For all of Jupiter's satellite events and Great Red Spot transits this month, good worldwide, see "Action at Jupiter" in the January Sky & Telescope, page 52.)Saturday, Jan. 7· The almost-full Moon this evening shines in a starry part of the sky. High to its upper left is bright Capella. High to its upper right is Aldebaran. Right or lower right of the Moon, look for Betelgeuse in Orion's shoulder. And farther lower left of the Moon are Pollux and Castor, the heads of the Gemini twins.

The Night SkySunday, January 8· Full Moon tonight (exact at 2:30 a.m. Monday morning EST). The Moon is in Gemini, with Castor and Pollux to its left in the evening and Orion farther to its right. Since we're still near the winter solstice, the full Moon passes almost overhead in the middle of the night (as seen from mid-northern latitudes).· This evening the faint asteroid 75 Eurydike will occult (cover up) an 8.3-magnitude star in Auriga for up to 5 seconds as seen along a track from North Carolina through Texas. Maps and details.Monday, January 9· Sirius, the Dog Star, sparkles low in the east-southeast after dusk, far below Orion. Procyon, the Little Dog Star, shines in the east two or three fist-widths at arm's length to Sirius's left. If you live around latitude 30° north (Tijuana, New Orleans, Jacksonville), the two canine stars are at the same height above your horizon soon after they rise. If you're north of that latitude, Procyon will be higher. If you're south of there, Sirius will be the higher one.

ISS Sighting Opportunities

SATELLITE LOCAL DURATIONMAX ELEV

APPROACH DEPARTURE

DATE/TIME (MIN) (DEG) (DEG-DIR) (DEG-DIR)

Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

For Denver:

For Denver: No ISS Sighting OpportunitiesFor Denver: No ISS Sighting Opportunities

ISS Fri Jan 06/05:13 PM < 1 15 15 above SSE 10 above SSE

NASA-TV Highlights

(all times Eastern Daylight Time)

Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website

January 6, Friday10:35 a.m. - ISS Expedition 30 In-Flight Interview with KGW-TV, Portland, OR and the Huffington Post - JSC (Public, HD and Media Channels)

January 7, Saturday10 a.m. - FIRST Kick-Off Event - Ames/HQ (Public, HD and Education Channels)

Space CalendarJan 06 - Comet C/2011 G1 (McNaught) Closest Approach To Earth (1.582 AU)Jan 06 - Comet P/2009 SK280 (Spacewatch-Hill) Closest Approach To Earth (3.909 AU)Jan 06 - Asteroid 3055 Annapavlova Occults HIP 8796 (3.4 Magnitude Star)Jan 06 - Asteroid 1000 Piazzia Occults TYC 2961-00236-1 (11.5 Magnitude Star)Jan 06 - Asteroid 2008 SA Near-Earth Flyby (0.056 AU)Jan 06 - Asteroid 3115 Baily Closest Approach To Earth (1.297 AU)Jan 06 - Asteroid 73079 Davidbaltimore Closest Approach To Earth (1.710 AU)Jan 06 - Asteroid 1373 Cincinnati Closest Approach To Earth (1.870 AU)Jan 06 - Asteroid 35334 Yarkovsky Closest Approach To Earth (1.938 AU)Jan 07 - Comet 131P/Mueller 2 Perihelion (2.418 AU)Jan 07 - Comet P/2011 C2 (Gibbs) Perihelion (5.389 AU)Jan 07 - Asteroid 1517 Beograd Occults HIP 114855 (4.2 Magnitude Star)Jan 07 - Asteroid 7079 Baghdad Closest Approach To Earth (1.798 AU)Jan 07-08 - 5th Meeting of NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG), Austin, TexasJan 08 - Comet C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy) Closest Approach To Earth (0.500 AU)Jan 08 - Asteroid 1481 Tubingia Occults HIP 68937 (6.6 Magnitude Star)Jan 08 - Asteroid 1322 Coppernicus Closest Approach To Earth (2.043 AU)Jan 08 - 20th Anniversary (1992), Sakigake, Earth FlybyJan 08 - Stephen Hawking's 70th Birthday (1942)Jan 08 - Johannes Fabricius' 425th Birthday (1587)Jan 08-12 - 219th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), Austin, TexasJan 08-13 - Gordon Research Conference: Origin of Life, Galveston, TexasJan 09 - [Dec 31] Zi Yuan 3A/ VesselSat 2 CZ-4B Launch (China)Jan 09 - Asteroid 2011 AC3 Near-Earth Flyby (0.081 AU)Jan 09 - Asteroid 18458 Caesar Closest Approach To Earth (1.394 AU)Jan 09 - Asteroid 742 Edisona Closest Approach To Earth (2.206 AU)

Johann Gottfried Galle

Food for Thought

2012 Apocalypse FAQ: Why the World Won't End

Space Image of the WeekSpace Station photo of the Moon

International Space Station flies by the Moon Photo credit: NASA