Space News Update - December 21, In the News Story 1: Story 1: Planets Around Tau Ceti? Story 2: Story 2: New meteorite suggests that asteroid surfaces more complex than previously thought Story 3: Story 3: New Crew Arrives at Space Station Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Planets Around Tau Ceti?

New meteorite suggests that asteroid surfaces more complex than previously thought >

New Crew Arrives at Space Station

The Night Sky Friday, December 21 · By about 9 p.m. at this time of year (depending on how far east or west you live in your time zone), the dim Little Dipper hangs straight down from Polaris, as if from a nail on the cold north wall of the sky. If you have a light-polluted sky, all you may see are Polaris and the two stars forming the far end of the Little Dipper's bowl: Kochab and Pherkad, the "Guardians of the Pole." · Winter begins in Earth's Northern Hemisphere at the solstice, 6:12 a.m. EST, when the Sun begins its six- month return northward. This is the shortest day of the year and the longest night. (But the Earth didn't flip over? No continents flying loose? Drat.) Saturday, December 22 · Every year during Christmas season, Sirius rises in the east-southeast, far below Orion, around 7 or 8 p.m. When Sirius is still low, binoculars often show it twinkling in vivid colors. All stars do this when low. But Sirius is the brightest, making the effect more pronounced. Sky & Telescope

The Night Sky Sunday, December 23 · With the coming of winter, the Great Square of Pegasus is once again balancing on one of its corners as it descends the western evening sky. · It's a busy evening at Jupiter. Ganymede, Jupiter's largest satellite, emerges from behind Jupiter's eastern limb at 7:26 p.m. EST — then just 6 minutes later it disappears into eclipse by the planet's shadow. Ganymede emerges from Jupiter's shadow farther out from the planet at 9:42 p.m. EST. Twenty-two minutes after that, Io starts crossing the planet's face, followed by Io's tiny black shadow at 10:36 p.m. EST. And at 10:45 p.m. EST, Jupiter's Great Red Spot should cross the planet's central meridian. Monday, December 24 · The Moon, nearly full, shines upper right of Jupiter and Aldebaran early this evening, as shown above. Look too for the Pleiades closer left of the Moon. By around 9 p.m. Jupiter and the Moon are level with each other, when they're both very overhead. Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting InformationSatellite Sighting Information For Denver: SATELLITELOCAL DURATIO N MAX ELEVAPPROACHDEPARTURE DATE/TIME(MIN)(DEG)(DEG-DIR) ISSMon Dec 17/06:01 PM31410 above NW13 above N ISSTue Dec 18/05:10 PM51910 above WNW10 above NNE ISSWed Dec 19/05:59 PM11110 above NNW10 above N ISSThu Dec 20/05:08 PM31210 above NW10 above NNE ISSMon Dec 17/06:01 PM31410 above NW13 above N

NASA-TV Highlights Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.NASA website December 21, Friday 8:30 a.m. - ISS Expedition 34/35 Soyuz TMA-07M Docking Coverage (Docking scheduled at 9:12 a.m. ET followed by the post-docking news conference from Mission Control in Korolev, Russia) - JSC via Korolev, Russia (All Channels) 11:15 a.m. - ISS Expedition 34/35 Soyuz TMA-07M Hatch Opening and Welcoming Ceremony (Hatch Opening and Welcoming Ceremony scheduled at 11:45 a.m. ET) - JSC via Korolev, Russia (All Channels) 2 p.m. - Video File of ISS Expedition 34/35 Soyuz TMA-07M Docking, Hatch Opening and Welcoming Ceremony - JSC (All Channels)

Space Calendar Dec 21 - [Dec 14] Mayan Calendar Ends, The World Will NOT EndMayan Calendar Ends, The World Will NOT End Dec 21 - Winter Solstice, 11:11 UTWinter Solstice11:11 UT Dec 21 - Asteroid 1 Ceres Closest Approach To Earth (1.679 AU)Asteroid 1 Ceres Dec 22 - Cassini, Distant Flyby of Titan & RheaCassini Dec 22 - Ursids Meteor Shower PeakUrsids Meteor Shower Dec 22 - Asteroid 1 Ceres Occults TYC (12.2 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 1 Ceres Occults TYC Dec 22 - Asteroid 8277 Machu-Picchu Closest Approach To Earth (1.411 AU)Asteroid 8277 Machu-Picchu Dec 22 - Asteroid 1197 Rhodesia Closest Approach To Earth (1.726 AU)Asteroid 1197 Rhodesia Dec 22 - Asteroid Triathlon Closest Approach To Earth (1.804 AU)Asteroid Triathlon Dec 22 - Asteroid Tomhanks Closest Approach To Earth (1.880 AU)Asteroid Tomhanks Dec 23 - Comet 58P/Jackson-Neujmin Closest Approach To Earth (2.073 AU)Comet 58P/Jackson-NeujminClosest Approach To Earth Dec 23 - Asteroid 4167 Riemann Occults TYC (6.9 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 4167 Riemann Occults TYC Dec 23 - Asteroid 3015 Candy Occults HIP (6.0 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 3015 Candy Occults HIP Dec 23 - Asteroid 2012 XM55 Near-Earth Flyby (0.008 AU)Asteroid 2012 XM55Near-Earth Flyby Dec th Anniversary (1672), Giovanni Cassini's Discovery of Saturn Moon RheaGiovanni Cassini'sRhea Dec 24 - Asteroid 1 Ceres Occults TYC (10.2 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 1 Ceres Occults TYC Dec 24 - Asteroid 2034 Bernoulli Closest Approach To Earth (0.884 AU)Asteroid 2034 Bernoulli Dec 24 - Asteroid Orvillewright Closest Approach To Earth (1.356 AU)Asteroid Orvillewright Dec 24 - Asteroid 4238 Audrey Closest Approach To Earth (1.426 AU)Asteroid 4238 Audrey JPL Space Calendar

Food for Thought Canadian Experiment to Track Space Radiation and Its Risks

Space Image of the Week Orion over El Castillo Image Credit & Copyright: Stéphane Guisard (Los Cielos de America, TWAN) Credits: D. Flores and B. Pichardo (Inst. Astronomia UNAM), P. Sánchez and R. Nafate (INAH)CopyrightStéphane GuisardLos Cielos de AmericaTWANInst. Astronomia UNAMINAH