Space News Update - October 16, 2018 - In the News Departments Story 1: Chandra X-Ray Observatory to Resume Observations after Gyro Swap, Hubble Remains in Protective “Safe Mode” Story 2: Magnetic Fields May Be the Key to Black Hole Activity Story 3: BepiColombo Mission Ready for Launch Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Chandra X-Ray Observatory to Resume Observations after Gyro Swap, Hubble Remains in Protective “Safe Mode” 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)

Magnetic Fields May Be the Key to Black Hole Activity

BepiColombo Mission Ready for Launch

The Night Sky Friday, October 19 Tuesday, October 16 • First-quarter Moon (exact at 2:02 p.m. EDT). At nightfall the half-lit Moon shines in the south with Mars to its left, Saturn farther to its lower right, and Altair very high above it. A finger-width above Altair is distant little Tarazed, magnitude 2.7. Wednesday, October 17 • The Moon this evening shines to the right of Mars, 260 times farther away. Far to their lower left you'll find Fomalhaut (out of the frame here). Thursday, October 18 • Now the Moon shines left (east) of Mars. Look to their lower left, by about two fists at arm's length, for Fomalhaut. Friday, October 19 • The waxing gibbous Moon at dusk forms a right triangle (as seen from North America) with Mars to its right and Fomalhaut below it. Later in the evening, the triangle turns clockwise a bit as it wheels across the southern sky. Saturday, October 20 • After dark, look upper left of the Moon, by two or three fists at arm's length, for the Great Square of Pegasus. It's standing on one corner and is a little more than a fist at arm's length in size. Sky & Telescope

ISS Sighting Opportunities ISS For Denver: Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Tue Oct 16, 6:46 PM < 1 min 11° 11° above SW 10° above SSW No further sighting opportunities until October 24th. 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)  October 18, Thursday 12 p.m. - NASA astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor hosts International Space Station Educational Event with the High Plains Library District in Greeley, Colorado (All Channels) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar Oct 10 - [Oct 08Near-Earth Flyby (0.029 AU) Oct 16 - Mars Winter Solstice Oct 16 - Apollo Asteroid 2018 TZ2 Near-Earth Flyby (0.023 AU) Oct 16 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 UO41 Near-Earth Flyby (0.096 AU) Oct 16 - Asteroid 7784 Watterson Closest Approach To Earth (0.932 AU) Oct 16 - Asteroid 38237 Roche Closest Approach To Earth (1.734 AU) Oct 16 - Asteroid 14702 Benclark Closest Approach To Earth (1.905 AU) Oct 16 - Colloquium: The Formation and Evolution of Ceres' Occator Crater and its Bright Faculae, Tucson, Arizona Oct 16-17 - Committee on Solar and Space Physics Fall Meeting, Irvine, California Oct 16-18 - 4th Landing Site Workshop from Mars 2020 Rover Mission, Glendale, California Oct 16-18 - 32nd Committee on Earth Observation Satellite (CEOS) Plenary, Brussels, Belgium Oct 17 - AEHF 4 Atlas 5 Launch Oct 17 - Comet 243P/NEAT Closest Approach To Earth (1.496 AU) Oct 17 - Aten Asteroid 2014 US7 Near-Earth Flyby (0.008 AU) Oct 17 - Asteroid 17033 Rusty Closest Approach To Earth (1.304 AU) Oct 17 - Asteroid 51826 Kalpanachawla Closest Approach To Earth (1.873 AU) Oct 17 - Asteroid 336694 Fey Closest Approach To Earth (2.100 AU) Oct 17 - Asteroid 656 Beagle Closest Approach To Earth (2.415 AU) Oct 18 - Comet 100P/Hartley At Opposition (3.719 AU) Oct 18 - Comet C/2016 Q4 (Kowalski) Closest Approach To Earth (6.216 AU) Oct 18 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 GC221 Near-Earth Flyby (0.022 AU) Oct 18 - Aten Asteroid 2013 UG1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.027 AU) Oct 18 - Amor Asteroid 2018 TE5 Near-Earth Flyby (0.062 AU) Oct 18 - Asteroid 4116 Elachi Closest Approach To Earth (0.968 AU) Oct 18 - Apollo Asteroid 5143 Heracles Closest Approach To Earth (1.881 AU) Oct 18 - Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris At Opposition (95.120 AU) Oct 18 - Lecture: The Determination of the Primordial Abundance of Helium, Ithaca, New York Oct 19 - BepiColumbo Ariane 5 Launch (Mercury Orbiter) JPL Space Calendar

A Break from the Buzz: Bees Go Silent during Total Solar Eclipse Food for Thought A Break from the Buzz: Bees Go Silent during Total Solar Eclipse

Image Credit: DLR/JAXA Space Image of the Week The Path that MASCOT Took Across Asteroid Ryugu during its 17 Hours of Life Image Credit: DLR/JAXA