Space News Update - February 9, 2016 - In the News Departments Story 1: Scientists discover hidden galaxies behind the Milky Way Story 2: Dark Matter Makes Galaxy Clusters Clump Story 3: New and Improved Orion Crew Module Arrives at Kennedy Space Center Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Scientists discover hidden galaxies behind the Milky Way In this computer graphic, NASA's Voyager 1 probe, moving toward upper left, nears the edge of the sun's influence, flying through a region of space dominated by a "magnetic highway" that helps mediate the flow of particles into and out of the solar system. The region includes particles from the sun's southern hemisphere that have been forced northward by the pressure of the interstellar wind. Voyager 1 is expected to cross the boundary into interstellar space sometime within the next few years if not sooner. (Credit: NASA)

Dark Matter Makes Galaxy Clusters Clump

New and Improved Orion Crew Module Arrives at Kennedy Space Center

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Tuesday, February 9 • With the Moon new and Orion high, explore the rabbity telescopic sights of Lepus, the Hare under Orion's feet, using Sue French's Deep-Sky Wonders article, chart and photos in the February Sky & Telescope, page 50. Get to know winter's only globular cluster. And what about that sextuple star that got named NGC 2017? Wednesday, February 10 • By 9 or 9:30 the Big Dipper stands on its handle in the northeast. In the northwest Cassiopeia also stands on end, at about the same height. Thursday, February 11 • Look west-southwest at nightfall for the thin crescent Moon. High above it, by some 30°, the two brightest stars of Aries point down to it. Above or upper left from there you'll find the Pleiades. • It's a busy night around Jupiter. Europa's shadow crosses the planet's face from 9:02 to 11:51 p.m. EST, followed by Europa itself from 10:15 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. EST. And Io's shadow moves onto Jupiter starting at 12:51 a.m. EST. Subtract 3 hours from these to get Pacific Standard Time. Friday, February 12 • The sky's biggest asterism (informal star pattern) is the Winter Hexagon. It fills the heavens toward the east and south these evenings. Start with brilliant Sirius at its bottom. Going clockwise from there, march through Procyon, Pollux and Castor, Beta Aurigae and Capella near the zenith, Aldebaran over and down to Capella's lower right, down to Rigel in Orion's foot, and back to Sirius. Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities ISS For Denver: Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Mon Feb 8, 6:22 PM 3 min 13° 10° above NW 10° above NNE Tue Feb 9, 7:08 PM < 1 min 10° 10° above N Wed Feb 10, 6:14 PM 1 min 10° above NNW Thu Feb 11, 6:59 PM 11° 11° above N Fri Feb 12, 6:06 PM Fri Feb 12, 7:42 PM Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Time Zone) MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA NASA-TV Highlights   (all times Eastern Time Zone) 3 p.m., Tuesday, February 9 - Replay of the “State of NASA” Address (all channels) 1 p.m., Thursday, February 11 - ISS Expedition 46 In-Flight Interviews for ABC’s “This Week” and CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta with Commander Scott Kelly of NASA (starts at 1:05 p.m.) (all channels) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Feb 09 - Comet 73P-AX/Schwassmann-Wachmann Closest Approach To Earth (2.769 AU) Feb 09 - [Feb 08] Apollo Asteroid 2016 CK31 Near-Earth Flyby (0.009 AU) Feb 09 - Asteroid 5261 Eureka (Mars Trojan) Closest Approach To Earth (0.766 AU) Feb 09 - Asteroid 6296 Cleveland Closest Approach To Earth (0.866 AU) Feb 09 - Asteroid 2933 Amber Closest Approach To Earth (1.737 AU) Feb 09 - Aten Asteroid 341843 (2008 EV5) Closest Approach To Earth (1.832 AU) Feb 10 - [Feb 04] Topaz 4 (NROL-45) Delta 4 Launch Feb 10 - Comet 113P/Spitaler Closest Approach To Earth (2.000 AU) Feb 10 - Comet 73P-BK/Schwassmann-Wachmann Closest Approach To Earth (2.708 AU) Feb 10 - Comet 73P-BN/Schwassmann-Wachmann Closest Approach To Earth (2.725 AU) Feb 10 - Comet 73P-BO/Schwassmann-Wachmann Closest Approach To Earth (2.732 AU) Feb 10 - [Feb 07] Apollo Asteroid 2016 CU29 Near-Earth Flyby (0.021 AU) Feb 10 - Atira Asteroid 413563 (2005 TG45) Closest Approach To Earth (0.592 AU) Feb 10 - Asteroid 3769 Arthurmiller Closest Approach To Earth (1.105 AU) Feb 10 - Asteroid 8209 Toscanelli Closest Approach To Earth (1.838 AU) Feb 11 - Moon Occults Asteroid 21 Lutetia Feb 11 - Comet 73P-BB/Schwassmann-Wachmann At Opposition (1.814 AU) Feb 11 - Comet C/2014 W5 (Lemmon-PANSTARRS) Perihelion (2.596 AU) Feb 11 - Comet 73P-BJ/Schwassmann-Wachmann Closest Approach To Earth (2.658 AU) Feb 11 - Comet 73P-AB/Schwassmann-Wachmann Closest Approach To Earth (2.669 AU) Feb 11 - Comet 73P-J/Schwassmann-Wachmann Closest Approach To Earth (2.698 AU) Feb 11 - Comet 189P/NEAT At Opposition (3.133 AU) Feb 11 - Comet 187P/LINEAR At Opposition (3.667 AU) Feb 11 - Asteroid 9617 Grahamchapman Closest Approach To Earth (1.085 AU) Feb 11 - Asteroid 82332 Las Vegas Closest Approach To Earth (1.579 AU) Feb 11 - Asteroid 2620 Santana Closest Approach To Earth (1.947 AU) Feb 11 - Apollo Asteroid 719 Albert Closest Approach To Earth (2.958 AU) Feb 11 - Lecture: The Europa Mission, Pasadena, California Feb 11-12 - Global Space and Technology Convention (GSTC) 2016, Singapore Feb 12 - Astro-H (NeXT)/ Horyu 4/ ChubuSat 2/ ChubuSat 3 H-2A Launch Feb 12 - Asteroid 253 Mathilde Occults TYC 0789-00337-1 (9.8 Magnitude Star) Feb 12 - [Feb 08] Apollo Asteroid 2016 CD31 Near-Earth Flyby (0.009 AU) Feb 12 - [Feb 08] Apollo Asteroid 2016 CW30 Near-Earth Flyby (0.013 AU) Feb 12 - [Feb 06] Apollo Asteroid 2016 CF29 Near-Earth Flyby (0.031 AU) Feb 12 - Asteroid 12413 Johnnyweir Closest Approach To Earth (1.901 AU) Feb 12 - Asteroid 5811 Keck Closest Approach To Earth (2.424 AU) Feb 12 - 15th Anniversary (2001), NEAR, Asteroid Eros Landing Feb 12 - Fang Lizhi's 80th Birthday (1936) JPL Space Calendar

Study: Long-Term Global Warming Needs External Drivers Food for Thought Study: Long-Term Global Warming Needs External Drivers

Earth observation taken by the Expedition 46 crew Space Image of the Week Earth observation taken by the Expedition 46 crew