Space News Update - June 20, 2017 - In the News Departments Story 1: NASA Releases Kepler Survey Catalog with Hundreds of New Planet Candidates Story 2: Rosetta Finds Clues to Earth’s “Xenon Paradox” Story 3: New Horizons Deploys Global Team for Rare Look at Next Flyby Target Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

NASA Releases Kepler Survey Catalog with Hundreds of New Planet Candidates 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 Finds Clues to Earth’s “Xenon Paradox”

VLA Gives New Insight into Galaxy Cluster’s Spectacular “Mini-Halo”

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Tuesday, June 20 This is "Midsummer's Night," the shortest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Astronomical summer begins at the solstice, 12:24 a.m. EDT (4:24 UT) on the 21st; that's 9:24 p.m. on the 20th PDT. The term "Midsummer's Night" is left over from when the seasons were commonly defined as beginning and ending around the cross-quarter days. Be like your ancestors — build a bonfire tonight and organize some all-night revelry while magic is afoot. Dawn will come soon enough — when you'll see Venus over the crescent Moon, as shown above. Wednesday, June 21 Do you know about the dark Propeller in the M13 star cluster in Hercules? With no Moon in the sky, take advantage of the dark to visit Sue French's six favorite summer deep-sky objects, which she features in the July Sky & Telescope, page 54. Thursday, June 22 Leo the Lion is a constellation of late winter and spring. But he's not gone yet. As twilight ends, look due west, rather low, for Regulus, his brightest and now lowest star: the forefoot of the Lion stick figure. The Sickle of Leo extends upper right from Regulus. The rest of the Lion's constellation figure extends for almost three fist-widths to the upper left, to end with his tail star, Denebola, the highest. He's walking down to the western horizon. Friday, June 23 This is the time of year when, after dark, the dim Little Dipper floats straight upward from Polaris (the end of its handle) — like a helium balloon on a string escaped from some summer evening party. Through light pollution, however, all you may see of the Little Dipper are Polaris at its bottom and Kochab, the lip of the Little Dipper's bowl, at the top. The waning crescent Moon leapfrogs past Venus between the mornings of the 20th and 21st for North America Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities ISS For Denver: No Sighting Opportunities in Denver through June 30, 2017 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) Wednesday, June 21 6 a.m - Rare Eclipse Across America is Two-Months Away--Live Media Satellite Interviews with NASA Scientists on the 2017 Solar Eclipse (NTV-3 (Media)) 1 p.m. - NASA Logistics Briefing on the 2017 Solar Eclipse from the Newseum in Washington, DC (all channels) 2:30 p.m. - NASA Science Briefing on the 2017 Solar Eclipse from the Newseum in Washington, DC (all channels) Friday, June 23 9:30 a.m. - ISS Expedition 52 In-Flight Interviews with the Voice of America with Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson of NASA (starts at 9:40 a.m.) (all channels)   Tue May 30, 9:16 PM 1 min 14° 14° above N 10° above NNE Tue May 30, 10:53 PM < 1 min 10° 10° above N Wed May 31, 00:30 AM 18° 18° above N Wed May 31, 10:01 PM Wed May 31, 11:38 PM 2 min 15° 14° above NE Thu Jun 1, 9:09 PM 11° 11° above N Thu Jun 1, 10:45 PM 12° 12° above N 10° above NE Fri Jun 2, 00:20 AM 17° 10° above NW 17° above NNW Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Jun 20 - Comet 223P/Skiff At Opposition (3.337 AU) Jun 20 - Comet P/2009 SK280 (Spacewatch-Hill) At Opposition (3.773 AU) Jun 20 - Comet P/2010 U2 (Hill) At Opposition (3.968 AU) Jun 20 - Amor Asteroid 2017 LW Near-Earth Flyby (0.040 AU) Jun 20 - Amor Asteroid 2017 LG1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.066 AU) Jun 20 - Apollo Asteroid 2015 YC1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.084 AU) Jun 20 - Asteroid 477 Italia Closest Approach To Earth (1.191 AU) Jun 20 - Aten Asteroid 2013 ND15 (Venus Trojan) Closest Approach To Earth (1.200 AU) Jun 21 - Summer Solstice, 04:24 UT Jun 21 - Comet C/2016 B1 (NEOWISE) At Opposition (2.971 AU) Jun 21 - Asteroid 165347 Philplait Closest Approach To Earth (1.490 AU) Jun 21 - Asteroid 3062 Wren Closest Approach To Earth (2.134 AU) Jun 21 - Kuiper Belt Object 50000 Quaoar At Opposition (41.915 AU) Jun 22 - Moon Occults Aldebaran Jun 22 - Comet 227P/Catalina-LINEAR Perihelion (1.788 AU) Jun 22 - Comet 352P/Skiff Perihelion (2.536 AU) Jun 22 - Centaur Object 10199 Chariklo Occults 2UCAC 18533636 (14.6 Magnitude Star) Jun 22 - Apollo Asteroid 2005 LW3 Near-Earth Flyby (0.060 AU) Jun 22 - Apollo Asteroid 2010 VZ11 Near-Earth Flyby (0.082 AU) Jun 22 - Aten Asteroid 2014 OL339 Closest Approach To Earth (0.282 AU) Jun 22 - Asteroid 10389 Robmanning Closest Approach To Earth (1.202 AU) Jun 22 - Apollo Asteroid 24761 Ahau Closest Approach To Earth (1.455 AU) Jun 22 - Asteroid 78905 Seanokeefe Closest Approach To Earth (1.846 AU) Jun 22 - Asteroid 4969 Lawrence Closest Approach To Earth (2.846 AU) Jun 22 - Asteroid 8373 Stephengould Closest Approach To Earth (3.064 AU) Jun 23 - BulgariaSat 1 Falcon 9 Launch Jun 23 - Cartosat 2E Max Valier Sat/ Venta 1/ Blue Diamond/ Green Diamond/ Red Diamond/ COMPASS 2/ InflateSail/ LituanicaSAT 2/ URSA MAIOR/ NUDTSat/ Pegasus/ UCLSat/ VZLUsat 1 PSLV Launch JPL Space Calendar

Brown Dwarfs vs. Stars: What Makes a Star a Star? New Technique Puts Exoplanets on the Scale New Technique Puts Exoplanets on the Scale Food for Thought Brown Dwarfs vs. Stars: What Makes a Star a Star?

Space Image of the Week Jupiter’s Clouds of Many Colors Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstädt /Seán Doran