Space News Update - February 3, 2012 - In the News Story 1: Story 1: Sun delivered curveball of powerful radiation at Earth Story 2: Story 2: 'First Light'

Space News Update- February 3, 2012 -

In the News

Story 1: Sun delivered curveball of powerful radiation at Earth

Story 2:'First Light' Taken by NASA's Newest CERES Instrument

Story 3: NASA's Juno Spacecraft Refines its Path to Jupiter

 Departments

The Night SkyISS Sighting Opportunities

NASA-TV HighlightsSpace CalendarFood for Thought

Space Image of the Week

Sun delivered curveball of powerful radiation at Earth

'First Light' Taken by NASA's Newest CERES Instrument

NASA's Juno Spacecraft Refines its Path to Jupiter

The Night Sky

Friday, February 3 · After dinnertime, the waxing gibbous Moon shines high in the southeast. Look to its upper left for bright Capella, to its upper right for Aldebaran, lower right for Orion, and lower left for Gemini including Castor and Pollux. · The near-Earth asteroid 433 Eros is still in its closest pass by Earth since 1975. It's magnitude 8.6 all week but starts fading around mid-February. Eros is rapidly heading south; find it moving from Sextans into Hydra using our charts in the January Sky & Telescope, page 52, or online.

Saturday, February 4 · The Moon shines in the feet of Gemini this evening, with Castor and Pollux to its left and Orion farther to its right. Well below the Moon sparkles Procyon.

Sunday, February 5 · This evening spot Pollux and Castor upper left of the Moon, and Procyon to the Moon's lower right. Farther below the Moon is the much dimmer Head of Hydra asterism.

Monday, February 6 · Action at Jupiter! Io reappears out of eclipse from Jupiter's shadow at 7:10 p.m. EST. Then Europa emerges from behind Jupiter's eastern limb at 7:48 p.m. EST. Eleven minutes later, Europa vanishes into eclipse by Jupiter's shadow at 7:59 p.m. EST, to reappear at 10:25 p.m. EST. All these events happen on or just off the planet's eastern (following) limb. Meanwhile, Jupiter's Great Red Spot transits the planet's central meridian around 9:32 p.m. EST. For timetables of all of Jupiter's satellite doings and Red Spot transits in February, see the February Sky & Telescope, page 53

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:

ISS Fri Feb 03/05:11 AM 1 4545 above

ENE25 above E

ISS Sat Feb 04/05:50 AM 3 3229 above

WSW11 above SSE

ISS Sun Feb 05/04:56 AM 1 18 18 above SE 10 above SE

ISSMon Feb 06/05:35

AM< 1 13

13 above SSW

10 above S

ISS Fri Feb 03/05:11 AM 1 4545 above

ENE25 above E

ISS Sat Feb 04/05:50 AM 3 3229 above

WSW11 above SSE

ISS Sun Feb 05/04:56 AM 1 18 18 above SE 10 above SE

NASA-TV Highlights

No changes to normal daily programming

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

Space Calendar

Feb 03 - Asteroid 477 Italia Closest Approach To Earth (1.858 AU) Feb 03 - Asteroid 30444 Shemp Closest Approach To Earth (2.179 AU) Feb 04 - [Jan 30] Asteroid 2012 BM77 Near-Earth Flyby (0.038 AU) Feb 04 - Asteroid 85197 Ginkgo Closest Approach To Earth (1.278 AU) Feb 04 - Asteroid 5049 Sherlock Closest Approach To Earth (1.410 AU) Feb 04 - Asteroid 9007 James Bond Closest Approach To Earth (1.602 AU) Feb 04 - Asteroid 4444 Escher Closest Approach To Earth (1.648 AU) Feb 04 - Asteroid 15131 Alanalda Closest Approach To Earth (1.907 AU) Feb 04 - Asteroid 17656 Hayabusa Closest Approach To Earth (2.041 AU) Feb 04 - 45th Anniverary (1967), Lunar Orbiter 3 Launch Feb 05 - [Feb 02] Fajr Safir-e-Fajr Launch (Iran) Feb 05 - Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux Closest Approach To Earth (1.025 AU) Feb 05 - Comet C/2011 Q4 (SWAN) Closest Approach To Earth (1.634 AU) Feb 05 - [Jan 29] Comet P/2012 B1 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (3.802 AU) Feb 05 - Asteroid 19383 Rolling Stones Closest Approach To Earth (1.663 AU) Feb 05 - Asteroid 1996 Adams Closest Approach To Earth (1.855 AU) Feb 06 - Comet 69P/Taylor Closest Approach To Earth (1.788 AU) Feb 06 - Asteroid 2579 Spartacus Closest Approach To Earth (1.302 AU)  

JPL Space Calendar

Food for ThoughtGetting Colbert

Space Image of the Week