Space News Update - September 30, 2014 - In the News Departments Story 1: MOM Eyes the Limb of Mars after History Creating Arrival Story 2: This Huge Alien Planet Is Making Its Host Star Age Prematurely Story 3: Construction of Texas launch site to begin next year Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

MOM Eyes the Limb of Mars after History Creating Arrival 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)

This Huge Alien Planet Is Making Its Host Star Age Prematurely

Construction of Texas launch site to begin next year

The Night Sky Tuesday, September 30 Arcturus is the bright star due west at nightfall. It's an orange giant 37 light-years away. Off to its right in the northwest is the Big Dipper, most of whose stars are about 80 light-years away. They're both sinking lower every week now. Wednesday, October 1 First-quarter Moon (exact at 3:33 p.m. EDT). The Moon shines above the Sagittarius Teapot in the south at nightfall. Thursday, October 2 Look high above the Moon at nightfall for Altair. Crossing the zenith (for the mid-northern latitudes) are the other two stars of the Summer Triangle: Vega and Deneb. Friday, October 3 As early as 8 p.m. now look for Fomalhaut, the Autumn Star, on its way up from the southeast horizon. This evening it's very far lower left of the Moon. Saturday, October 4 The W of Cassiopeia now stands vertically (on its dimmer end) high in the northeast around 10 or 11 p.m., depending on your location. By then the Big Dipper is lying level just above the north-northwest horizon — if you're in the mid-northern latitudes. As far south as San Diego and Jacksonville, the Dipper will lie partly below the horizon.. Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities ISS For Denver: Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Tue Sep 30, 4:24 AM < 1 min 15° 15 above ENE Tue Sep 30, 5:57 AM 5 min 43° 17 above WNW 12 above SSE Wed Oct 1, 5:11 AM 3 min 64° 64 above SE 11 above SE Thu Oct 2, 5:58 AM 2 min 15 above SW 10 above SSW 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) 2 p.m., Friday, October 3 - ISS Expedition 41 U.S. Spacewalk Briefing (all channels) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Little Joe Tests Mercury Escape System Space Calendar Sep 29-Oct 05 - [Sep 29] Astronomy Week Sep 30 - Kondor-E 1 Strela Launch Sep 30 - Comet 113P/Spitaler Closest Approach To Earth (1.625 AU) Sep 30 - Comet 264P/Larsen At Opposition (4.139 AU) Sep 30 - 20th Anniversary (1994), STS-68 Launch (Space Shuttle Endeavour, Radar Imaging) Sep 30 - Phil Plait's 50th Birthday (1964) Oct 01 - [Sep 28] Comet P/2014 S4 (Gibbs) Closest Approach To Earth (1.436 AU) Oct 01 - Asteroid 2012 SL50 Near-Earth Flyby (0.028 AU) Oct 01 - Asteroid 2014 HR178 Near-Earth Flyby (0.057 AU) Oct 01 - Asteroid 11341 Babbage Closest Approach To Earth (1.454 AU) Oct 01 - Asteroid 10050 Rayman Closest Approach To Earth (1.576 AU) Oct 01 - Asteroid 1772 Gagarin Closest Approach To Earth (1.797 AU) Oct 01 - Galaxy Forum Canada, Toronto, Canada Oct 02 - Comet C/2014 L5 (Lemmon) Closest Approach To Earth (5.406 AU) Oct 02 - Comet C/2014 L5 (Lemmon) At Opposition (5.406 AU) Oct 03 - Comet 308P/Lagerkvist-Carsenty At Opposition (3.365 AU) Oct 03 - [Sep 28] Asteroid 2014 SX261 Near-Earth Flyby (0.023 AU) Oct 03 - Asteroid 2011 PT Near-Earth Flyby (0.045 AU) Oct 03 - [Sep 28] Asteroid 2014 SU261 Near-Earth Flyby (0.056 AU) Oct 03 - Asteroid 217628 Lugh Closest Approach To Earth (1.084 AU) Oct 03 - Asteroid 12711 Tukmit Closest Approach To Earth (1.260 AU) Oct 03 - Asteroid 4766 Malin Closest Approach To Earth (1.586 AU) Oct 03 - Asteroid 9661 Hohmann Closest Approach To Earth (2.110 AU) Oct 04 - [Sep 27] Astronomy Day Oct 04 - [Sep 28] Comet P/2014 S4 (Gibbs) At Opposition (1.436 AU) Oct 04 - Comet 170P/Christensen Closest Approach To Earth (1.936 AU) Oct 04 - Comet 286P/Christensen Closest Approach To Earth (2.109 AU) Oct 04 - Comet P/2008 Y2 (Gibbs) At Opposition (2.555 AU) Oct 04 - Comet 211P/Hill At Opposition (2.627 AU) Oct 04 - Asteroid 2012 HN1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.086 AU) Oct 04 - Asteroid 5799 Brewington Closest Approach To Earth (1.208 AU) Oct 04 - 10th Anniversary (2004), SpaceShipOne Launch F-3 (3rd Private Manned Space Flight) Oct 04 - 55th Anniversary (1959), Luna 3 Launch (USSR Moon Flyby Mission) Oct 04 - 55th Anniversary (1959), Little Joe 1 Launch Little Joe Tests Mercury Escape System JPL Space Calendar

Cassini Watches Mysterious Feature Evolve in Titan Sea Food for Thought Cassini Watches Mysterious Feature Evolve in Titan Sea

Unusual Rocks near Pahrump Hills on Mars Space Image of the Week Unusual Rocks near Pahrump Hills on Mars Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS