Space News Update - September 13, 2013 - In the News Departments Story 1: How Do We Know When Voyager Reaches Interstellar Space? Story 2: Hubble Uncovers Largest Known Group of Star Clusters, Clues to Dark Matter Story 3: The Importance of the Galactic Bulge at the Heart of our Galaxy   Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

How Do We Know When Voyager Reaches Interstellar Space? 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)

Hubble Uncovers Largest Known Group of Star Clusters, Clues to Dark Matter

The Importance of the Galactic Bulge at the Heart of our Galaxy

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Friday, September 13 · Saturn has closed to within 6° of Venus low in the western twilight, as shown at right. They'll pass 3½° apart on Wednesday and Thursday. Saturday, September 14 · Look for bright Vega close to the zenith as twilight fades away, if you live in the world's mid-northern latitudes. Vega goes right throughyour zenith if you're at latitude 39° north (near Baltimore, Kansas City, Lake Tahoe, Sendai, Beijing, Athens, Lisbon). Sunday, September 15 · At dusk, look southeast high above the Moon for Altair. Lower in the east, the Great Square of Pegasus balances on one corner. Monday, September 16 · Low in the western twilight, Saturn is now within 4° of brighter Venus. In a telescope at high power they'll be very blurry though the thick atmosphere, but you can certainly observe their wildly different surface brightnesses. Venus is 13 times closer to the Sun than Saturn is, so it's illuminated by sunlight that's about 169 times as bright! Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities ISS For Denver: Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Fri Sep 13, 5:48 AM 4 min 49° 11 above SSW 36 above E Sat Sep 14, 5:01 AM 2 min 27° 21 above S 21 above E Sun Sep 15, 4:15 AM < 1 min 12° 12 above ESE 10 above E Sun Sep 15, 5:48 AM 54° 18 above WSW 19 above NE Mon Sep 16, 5:02 AM 83° 81 above E 25 above NE Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

NASA-TV Highlights Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website (all times Eastern Daylight Time) September 16, Monday 10:20 a.m. - ISS Expedition 37 In-Flight Interview with the Associated Press - JSC (All Channels) 2 p.m. – Orbital Sciences/Cygnus Demonstration Mission News Conference – WFF (All Channels) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Sep 13 - Asteroid 9781 Jubjubbird Closest Approach To Earth (1.154 AU) Sep 13 - Asteroid 4513 Louvre Closest Approach To Earth (1.918 AU) Sep 13 - Asteroid 7231 Porco Closest Approach To Earth (1.937 AU) Sep 13 - Asteroid 78756 Sloan Closest Approach To Earth (2.079 AU) Sep 13 - Asteroid 5553 Chodas Closest Approach To Earth (2.294 AU) Sep 13 - Asteroid 1069 Planckia Closest Approach To Earth (2.475 AU) Sep 13 - Asteroid 308933 (2006 SQ372) At Opposition (24.752 AU) Sep 14 - [Sep 10] SPRINT-A Epsilon Launch (Japan) Sep 14 - Comet C/2013 G5 (Catalina) Closest Approach To Earth (0.401 AU) Sep 14 - Asteroid 2013 RA6 Near-Earth Flyby (0.097 AU) Sep 14 - 35th Anniversary (1978), Venera 12 Launch (USSR Venus Lander) Sep 14 - 45th Anniversary (1968), Zond 5 Launch (USSR Moon Orbiter) Sep 15 - [Sep 11] Cassiope 1/ DANDE/ CUSAT 1 & 2/ POPACS 1, 2 & 3/ SNAPS Falcon 9 Launch Sep 15 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #359 (OTM-359) Sep 15 - Comet P/2013 CU129 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (0.621 AU) Sep 15 - Comet 110P/Hartley At Opposition (2.506 AU) Sep 15 - Comet C/2012 S4 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (3.396 AU) Sep 15 - Asteroid 2008 HB38 Near-Earth Flyby (0.033 AU) Sep 15 - Asteroid 2008 KZ5 Near-Earth Flyby (0.090 AU) Sep 15 - Asteroid 115561 Frankherbert Closest Approach To Earth (2.343 AU) Sep 16 - Astra 2-E Proton M-Briz M Launch Sep 16 - Comet C/2012 Q1 (Kowalski) At Opposition (8.847 AU) Sep 16 - Asteroid 89 Julia At Opposition (9.2 Magnitude) Sep 16 - Asteroid 2595 Gudiachvili Occults HIP 19718 (6.6 Magnitude Star) Sep 16 - Asteroid 2001 SQ263 Near-Earth Flyby (0.056 AU) Sep 16 - Asteroid 8000 Isaac Newton Closest Approach To Earth (1.866 AU) JPL Space Calendar

Insights into evolution of life on Earth from 1 of Saturn's moons Food for Thought Insights into evolution of life on Earth from 1 of Saturn's moons

Space Image of the Week Crescent Moon Meets Evening Star  Image Credit & Copyright: Luis Argerich, Agustin Llorens, Guido Medici, Gabriel Remotti