Space News Update - September 2, 2016 - In the News Departments Story 1: NASA Discovers "Lonely Mountain" on Ceres Likely a Salty-Mud Cryovolcano Story 2: Asteroid Probe Apparently Unharmed in nearby SpaceX Explosion, Passes its FRR Story 3: Planck: First Stars Formed Later Than We Thought Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

NASA Discovers "Lonely Mountain" on Ceres Likely a Salty-Mud Cryovolcano 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)

Asteroid Probe Apparently Unharmed in nearby SpaceX Explosion, Passes its FRR

Planck: First Stars Formed Later Than We Thought

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Friday, September 2 • A twilight challenge: Shortly after sunset, use binoculars or a wide-field scope to start looking for the super-thin crescent Moon near Jupiter and Venus in the bright sky just above the west-southwest horizon, as shown at right. The Moon will be much easier tomorrow. Saturday, September 3 • Shortly after sunset, the crescent Moon low in the west-southwest points the way lower right to bright Venus and tougher Jupiter, as shown at right. Sunday, September 4 • The Moon has stepped farther to the upper left of Venus in the afterglow of sunset. Can you pick out little Spica twinkling below the Moon? Monday, September 5 • Crisp nights of late summer are prime Milky Way time, as hot-weather humid hazes give way to dryer, clearer air (at least where a lot of us live). After dark, the Milky Way runs from Sagittarius in the south, up and left across Aquila, through the big Summer Triangle very high in the east, and on down through Cassiopeia to Perseus rising low in the north-northeast. Tuesday, September 6 • As summer approaches its end, Venus becomes the zenith star around the end of twilight (for skywatchers at mid-northern latitudes). And Arcturus, its zero-magnitude equal for brightness, shines moderately low in the west. Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities ISS For Denver: Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Sat Sep 3, 5:57 AM 4 min 33° 10° above SSW 29° above ESE Sun Sep 4, 5:05 AM 3 min 17° 10° above S 14° above ESE Mon Sep 5, 5:48 AM 87° 10° above SW 36° above NE Tue Sep 6, 4:58 AM 2 min 42° 37° above SSE 25° above E 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)   Friday, September 2 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 8 p.m., 10 p.m., Replay of the ISS Expedition 49-50 (Kimbrough, Ryzhikov, Borisenko) Crew News Conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia (all channels) 1:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m., NASA Television Video File News Feed of the ISS Expedition 49-50 Crew’s (Kimbrough, Ryzhikov, Borisenko) Ceremonial Visit to the Gagarin Museum at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center and their Visit to Red Square and the Kremlin (Starts at 1:45 p.m.) (all channels) Saturday, September 3 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m., 11 p.m., Replay of Space Station Live (8/31/16) (all channels) 2 p.m., 8 p.m., Replay of the ISS Expedition 49-50 (Kimbrough, Ryzhikov, Borisenko) Crew News Conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia (all channels) 2:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m., NASA Television Video File News Feed of the ISS Expedition 49-50 Crew’s Ceremonial Visit to the Gagarin Museum at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center and their Visit to Red Square and the Kremlin in Moscow (starts at 2:45 p.m.) (all channels) 6 p.m., 9 p.m., NASA Television Video File News Feed of the ISS Expedition 49-50 Crew Qualification Training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia (Recorded on Aug. 30-31) (all channels) Sunday, September 4 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m., Replay of Space Station Live (8/31/16) (all channels) 9 a.m., Sunday, September 4 - NASA Television Video File News Feed of the ISS Expedition 49-50 Crew Qualification Training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia (Recorded on Aug. 30-31) (all channels) 10 a.m., Sunday, September 4 - Replay of the ISS Expedition 49-50 Crew News Conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia (all channels) 10:30 a.m., Sunday, September 4 - NASA Television Video File News Feed of the ISS Expedition 49-50 Crew’s Ceremonial Visit to the Gagarin Museum at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center and their Visit to Red Square and the Kremlin in Moscow (starts at 10:45 a.m.) (all channels)   Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Sep 02 - Moon Occults Jupiter Sep 02 - Comet P/2015 F1 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (2.616 AU) Sep 02 - [Aug 29] Apollo Asteroid 2016 QZ1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.058 AU) Sep 02 - Apollo Asteroid 25143 Itokawa Closest Approach To Earth (1.101 AU) Sep 02 - Asteroid 26715 South Dakota Closest Approach To Earth (1.633 AU) Sep 03 - Moon Occults Venus Sep 03 - Neptune At Opposition Sep 03 - Comet 139P/Vaisala-Oterma Closest Approach To Earth (2.964 AU) Sep 03 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 PT8 Near-Earth Flyby (0.067 AU) Sep 03 - Asteroid 4103 Chahine Closest Approach To Earth (1.077 AU) Sep 03 - Asteroid 7470 Jabberwock Closest Approach To Earth (1.376 AU) Sep 03 - 10th Anniversary (2006), SMART-1, Moon Impact Sep 03 - 40th Anniversary (1976), Viking 2, Mars Landing Sep 04 - Comet 188P/LINEAR-Mueller At Opposition (1.796 AU) Sep 04 - Comet P/2011 VJ5 (Lemmon) At Opposition (3.259 AU) Sep 04 - Asteroid 433 Eros Occults 2UCAC 31253277 (11.1 Magnitude Star) Sep 04 - Asteroid 6790 Pingouin Closest Approach To Earth (0.987 AU) Sep 04 - Asteroid 9618 Johncleese Closest Approach To Earth (1.042 AU) Sep 04 - Asteroid 2867 Steins Closest Approach To Earth (1.098 AU) Sep 04 - Asteroid 3155 Lee Closest Approach To Earth (1.273 AU) Sep 04 - Asteroid 2843 Yeti Closest Approach To Earth (1.589 AU) Sep 04 - Asteroid 8990 Compassion Closest Approach To Earth (2.400 AU) Sep 04 - Kuiper Belt Object 145452 (2005 RN43) At Opposition (39.628 AU) Sep 04 - 130th Anniversary (1886), Novo-Urei Meteorite (Urelite) Fall in Russia Sep 05 - Comet 226P/Pigott-LINEAR-Kowalski Perihelion (1.776 AU) Sep 05 - Comet C/2015 V3 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (4.222 AU) Sep 05 - [Sep 02] Comet C/2016 Q4 (Kowalski) Closest Approach To Earth (6.509 AU) Sep 05 - Asteroid 2 Pallas Occults 2UCAC 34202202 (12.2 Magnitude Star) Sep 05 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 PD2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.048 AU) Sep 05 - Apollo Asteroid 2009 ES Near-Earth Flyby (0.048 AU) Sep 05 - Asteroid 7434 Osaka Closest Approach To Earth (1.168 AU) Sep 05 - Asteroid 246247 Sheldoncooper Closest Approach To Earth (1.647 AU) Sep 05 - Asteroid 5053 Chladni Closest Approach To Earth (1.796 AU) Sep 05 - Asteroid 17768 Tigerlily Closest Approach To Earth (1.945 AU) Sep 05 - Kyongae Chang's 70th Birthday (1946) JPL Space Calendar

NASA Sees Hermine's Twin Towers Food for Thought NASA Sees Hermine's Twin Towers

Little Planet Astro Camp Image Credit & Copyright: György Soponyai Space Image of the Week Little Planet Astro Camp  Image Credit & Copyright: György Soponyai