Space News Update - October 12, 2018 - In the News Departments Story 1: Soyuz Crew Lands Safely After Emergency Launch Abort Story 2: Japan Delays Spacecraft Landing on Very Rocky Asteroid Story 3: New Image Shows the Rugged Landscape of Comet 67P Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Soyuz Crew Lands Safely After Emergency Launch Abort 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)

Japan Delays Spacecraft Landing on Very Rocky Asteroid

New Image Shows the Rugged Landscape of Comet 67P

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Friday, October 12 • Look lower left of the crescent Moon in twilight. Can you spot orange Antares, as shown here? For North Americans it's about 8° from the Moon, a little less than a fist at arm's length. Way to the right of Antares shines brighter Jupiter. • Then right around the end of twilight, you'll find zero-magnitude Arcturus shining low in the west-northwest at the same height as zero-magnitude Capella in the northeast. When this happens, turn to the south-southeast, and there will be 1st-magnitude Fomalhaut at the same height too — if you're at latitude 43° north. Seen from south of that latitude Fomalhaut will appear higher; from north of there it will be lower. That bright point far upper right of Fomalhaut is Mars. Saturday, October 13 • The crescent Moon hangs in the southwest after sunset, as shown above. How early in the fading light can you spot Saturn, about 14° to the Moon's left? Next, look for fainter, more difficult Antares about the same distance to the Moon's lower right. • Vega is the brightest star very high in the west. After nightfall is complete, look to Vega's right by 14° (nearly a fist and a half at arm's length) for Eltanin, the nose of Draco the Dragon. The rest of Draco's fainter, lozenge-shaped head is a little farther right. Draco always eyes Vega! Sunday, October 14 • The "star" near the Moon tonight is Saturn, 3,900 times farther away. • This being October, Deneb has replaced Vega as the zenith star after nightfall (for skywatchers at mid-northern latitudes). And, accordingly, dim Capricornus has replaced Sagittarius as the most notable constellation low in the south. Capricornus currently hosts bright Mars in its middle. Monday, October 15 • The Big Dipper lies down horizontal low in the north-northwest late these evenings. How low? The farther south you are, the lower. Seen from 40° north (New York, Denver) even its bottom stars twinkle nearly ten degrees high. But at Miami (26° N) the entire Dipper skims along out of sight just below the northern horizon.

ISS Sighting Opportunities ISS For Denver: Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Fri Oct 12, 6:58 PM 6 min 80° 15° above NW 11° above SE Sat Oct 13, 7:44 PM 2 min 15° 15° above WSW 10° above SSW Sun Oct 14, 6:53 PM 3 min 29° 29° above SW 11° above SSE Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Time Zone) Monday, October 15 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) Monday, October 15  1 p.m., ISS Expedition 57 In-Flight Educational Event with the National Parks Service in St. Louis, Missouri and Flight Engineer Serena Aunon-Chancellor of NASA (starts at 1:15 p.m.) (all channels) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Oct 12 - [Oct 10] Apollo Asteroid 2018 TQ3 Near-Earth Flyby (0.027 AU) Oct 12 - [Oct 09] Aten Asteroid 2018 TD2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.033 AU) Oct 12 - Asteroid 9007 James Bond Closest Approach To Earth (1.099 AU) Oct 13 - Comet P/2005 J1 (McNaught) Perihelion (1.533 AU) Oct 13 - Comet 251P/LINEAR Closest Approach To Earth (2.736 AU) Oct 13 - Comet P/2013 EW90 (Tenagra) At Opposition (3.504 AU) Oct 13 - Kuiper Belt Object 303775 (2005 QU182) At Opposition (51.857 AU) Oct 13 - 180th Anniversary (1838), Cold Bokkeveld Meteorite Fall in South Africa Oct 14 - Mercury Passes 6.8 Degrees From Venus Oct 14 - Comet P/2001 R6 (LINEAR-Skiff) Closest Approach To Earth (1.240 AU) Oct 14 - [Oct 08] Apollo Asteroid 2018 TP1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.055 AU) Oct 14 - Apollo Asteroid 2012 CU Near-Earth Flyby (0.061 AU) Oct 14 - Aten Asteroid 2016 TH10 Near-Earth Flyby (0.061 AU) Oct 14 - Apollo Asteroid 4450 Pan Closest Approach To Earth (0.862 AU) Oct 14 - Kuiper Belt Object 19308 (1996 TO66) At Opposition (46.447 AU) Oct 14 - 15th Anniversary (2003), Shenzhou V Launch (1st Chinese Manned Space Mission) Oct 14 - Edward Sabine's 230th Birthday (1788) Oct 15 - Comet P/2010 A1 (Hill) Perihelion (1.957 AU) Oct 15 - [Oct 08] Amor Asteroid 2018 TS Near-Earth Flyby (0.017 AU) Oct 15 - [Oct 09] Apollo Asteroid 2018 TS1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.015 AU) Oct 15 - [Oct 08] Apollo Asteroid 2018 SL3 Near-Earth Flyby (0.023 AU) Oct 15 - [Oct 09] Apollo Asteroid 2018 TR1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.085 AU) Oct 15 - Asteroid 5961 Watt Closest Approach To Earth (1.679 AU) Oct 15 - Asteroid 2830 Greenwich Closest Approach To Earth (1.902 AU) Oct 15 - Asteroid 3834 Zappafrank Closest Approach To Earth (2.005 AU) Oct 15 - Centaur Object 2015 JH1 At Opposition (6.532 AU) Oct 15 - Johan Tralles' 255th Birthday (1763) Oct 15 - Evangelista Torricelli's 410th Birthday (1608) JPL Space Calendar

Citizen Scientists Give New Life And Value To Old Astrophotos Food for Thought Citizen Scientists Give New Life And Value To Old Astrophotos

The Falcon 9 Nebula Image Credit & Copyright: Brian Haidet Space Image of the Week The Falcon 9 Nebula  Image Credit & Copyright: Brian Haidet