Space News Update - November 18, 2014 - In the News Departments Story 1: Pioneering Philae Completes Main Mission before Hibernation Story 2: Extreme Storms on Uranus Puzzle Astronomers Story 3: NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover Progress Update Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Pioneering Philae Completes Main Mission before Hibernation 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) Rosetta’s OSIRIS camera spots Philae drifting across the comet

Extreme Storms on Uranus Puzzle Astronomers

NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover Progress Update

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope and Constellation Guide.com Tuesday, November 18 Very high now in the north, in the fall Milky Way, is dim Cepheus: husband in myth to brighter Cassiopeia. Its constellation pattern includes two landmark variable stars, Delta (δ) and Mu (μ) Cephei, for binoculars or even the naked eye. Delta is the prototype Cepheid. Mu, "Herschel's Garnet Star," is one of the largest stars known. Wednesday, November 19 It's still Summer Triangle season. The Triangle's brightest star is Vega, still well up in the west- northwest after dinnertime. The brightest above Vega is Deneb. The Triangle's third star, Altair, is farther to Vega's left. Thursday, November 20 Whenever Fomalhaut is "southing" (crossing the meridian due south, which it does around 7 p.m. this week), you know that the first stars of Orion are just about to rise in the east, and the Pointers of the Big Dipper stand directly below Polaris (if you're in the world's mid-northern latitudes). Friday, November 21 Does it seem like night is already falling about as early as it ever will? You're right! We're still a whole month from the winter solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere), but the Sun sets earliest around December 7th, and right now it sets within about 5 minutes from that time (if you're near latitude 40° north). A surprising result: The Sun actually sets earlier on Thanksgiving than on Christmas near the solstice! Sky & Telescope and Constellation Guide.com

ISS Sighting Opportunities ISS For Denver: Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Tue Nov 18, 5:45 AM 1 min 10° 10 above NNW 10 above N Thu Nov 20, 5:42 AM 2 min 11° 10 above NNE Sat Nov 22, 5:40 AM 4 min 16° 11 above NNW 10 above ENE 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) Tuesday, November 18 2 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 42/43 Crew Activities in Baikonur, Kazakhstan (all channels) Wednesday, November 19 1 p.m. - Live Cover of Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Presentation -- “STEM in 30: Vacuum Packed, Space Food” (all channels) Thursday, November 20 6 a.m. - Live Media Interviews on the Largest Sunspot in 24 Years Now Visible from Earth - GSFC (NTV-2 (Education)) 2 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 42/43 Crew Activities and Soyuz TMA-15M Spacecraft Encapsulation and Mating at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (all channels) Friday, November 21 10:25 a.m. - ISS Expedition 42 In-Flight Event with ESPN Radio’s “Colin Cowherd” and Station Commander Barry Wilmore of NASA (all channels) 12 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 42/43 Soyuz TMA-15M Spacecraft Rollout to the Launch Pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and Launch Pad Interviews (all channels) Saturday, November 22 1 p.m. - Video File of the Russian State Commission Meeting and Final Expedition 42/43 Pre- Launch Crew News Conference in Baikonur, Kazakhstan (all channels) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Nov 18 - Comet 312P/NEAT Closest Approach To Earth (1.661 AU) Nov 18 - Comet P/2013 CU129 (PANSTARRS) At Opposition (3.151 AU) Nov 18 - Asteroid 2014 VV6 Near-Earth Flyby (0.058 AU) Nov 18 - Asteroid 10044 Squyres Closest Approach To Earth (1.210 AU) Nov 18 - Asteroid 5748 Davebrin Closest Approach To Earth (1.256 AU) Nov 18 - Asteroid 2710 Veverka Closest Approach To Earth (1.597 AU) Nov 18 - Asteroid 10387 Bepicolombo Closest Approach To Earth (1.701 AU) Nov 18 - Asteroid 8084 Dallas Closest Approach To Earth (2.059 AU) Nov 18 - Asteroid 4486 Mithra Closest Approach To Earth (2.567 AU) Nov 19 - Comet C/2014 R1 (Borisov) Perihelion (1.345 AU) Nov 19 - Comet C/2014 Q3 (Borisov) Perihelion (1.647 AU) Nov 19 - Comet 17P/Holmes Closest Approach To Earth (1.826 AU) Nov 19 - Comet P/2011 S1 (Gibbs) Closest Approach To Earth (5.909 AU) Nov 19 - Asteroid 2014 UZ56 Near-Earth Flyby (0.069 AU) Nov 19 - Asteroid 2247 Hiroshima Closest Approach To Earth (1.215 AU) Nov 19 - Asteroid 5790 Nagasaki Closest Approach To Earth (1.459 AU) Nov 20 - Comet 305P/Skiff Perihelion (1.403 AU) Nov 20 - Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro Closest Approach To Earth (2.444 AU) Nov 20 - Comet C/2013 V4 (Catalina) At Opposition (4.734 AU) Nov 20 - Comet P/2011 S1 (Gibbs) At Opposition (5.910 AU) Nov 20 - Asteroid 3 Juno Occults HIP 43357 (7.4 Magnitude Star) Nov 20 - Asteroid 2014 WO4 Near-Earth Flyby (0.010 AU) Nov 20 - Asteroid 2875 Lagerkvist Closest Approach To Earth (1.824 AU) Nov 20 - Asteroid 19204 Joshuatree Closest Approach To Earth (1.950 AU) Nov 20 - Edwin Hubble's 125th Birthday (1889) Nov 21 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #396 (OTM-396) JPL Space Calendar

Alien Life Could Thrive on 'Supercritical' CO2 Instead of Water Food for Thought Alien Life Could Thrive on 'Supercritical' CO2 Instead of Water

Orion in Gas, Dust, and Stars Space Image of the Week Orion in Gas, Dust, and Stars Image Copyright: Roberto Colombari, Robert Gendler &Federico Pelliccia; Data: DSS PLOSS II