Space News Update - May 3, 2019 - In the News Departments Story 1: Hubble Astronomers Assemble Wide View of the Evolving Universe Story 2: LIGO and Virgo detect neutron star smash-ups Story 3: SpaceX offers new details on Crew Dragon test anomaly Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Hubble Astronomers Assemble Wide View of the Evolving Universe NASA's InSight Prepares to Take Mars' Temperature 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)

LIGO and Virgo detect neutron star smash-ups

SpaceX offers new details on Crew Dragon test anomaly

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Friday, May 3 • Three zero-magnitude stars shine after dark in May: Arcturus high in the southeast, Vega much lower in the northeast, and Capella in the northwest. They appear so bright because each is at least 60 times as luminous as the Sun, and because they're all relatively nearby: 37, 25, and 42 light-years from us, respectively. Saturday, May 4 • Vega is the brightest star in the northeast late these evenings. Look 14° (about a fist and a half at arm's length) to Vega's upper left for Eltanin, the nose of Draco the Dragon. Closer above and upper left of Eltanin are the three fainter stars of Draco's stick-figure head, also called the Lozenge. Draco always points his nose to Vega no matter in what part of the sky we see them. He seems awfully curious about it. Do dragons eat jewels? The faintest star of Draco's head, opposite Eltanin, is 4th-magnitude Nu Draconis. It's a lovely, equal-brightness double star for binoculars and small scopes (separation 61 arcseconds). • New Moon (exact at 6:46 p.m. EDT). Sunday, May 5 • As night descends, look high in the west for Pollux and Castor lined up almost horizontally (depending on your latitude). These two stars, the heads of the Gemini twins, form the top of the enormous Arch of Spring. To their lower left is Procyon, the left end of the Arch. Farther to their lower right is the other end, formed by Menkalinan (Beta Aurigae) and then brilliant Capella. The whole thing sinks lower through the evening. • Before the Moon returns to brighten the evening sky, learn to find (once and for all!) the famous galaxies M81 and M82 by using the faint "Mini-Dipper" attached to the Big Dipper's lip. See Matt Wedel's Binocular Highlight column and chart in the May Sky & Telescope, page 43. Monday, May 6 • As twilight fades, look low in the west-northwest for the thin crescent Moon a few degrees above Aldebaran as shown here. Sky & Telescope Tuesday, May 7 •The crescent Moon hangs in the west-northwest at dusk near Mars and Beta Tauri (which is to Mars's left), and very close to or even on top of 3rd-magnitude Zeta Tauri. Will the Moon occult Zeta for your location? It will if you're in Florida or the deep south (where the Moon will be low in darkness), the mid-south (with the Moon higher in twilight), or much of Mexico and Central America. See map and timetables from IOTA. (The text there consists of three timetables: for the star's disappearance, its reappearance, and the locations of the cities and towns. Watch for the divisions between the tables as you scroll.)

ISS Sighting Opportunities ISS For Denver: Date Visible Max Height Appears Disappears Fri May 3, 4:09 AM 2 min 63° 61° above WNW 29° above NE Sat May 4, 3:20 AM 1 min 28° 28° above ENE 15° above ENE Sat May 4, 4:53 AM 4 min 19° 10° above WNW 13° above NNE Sun May 5, 4:04 AM 26° above NW 18° above NNE Mon May 6, 3:15 AM < 1 min 30° 30° above NNE 21° above NNE Mon May 6, 4:49 AM 3 min 13° 10° above NW 10° above NNE Tue May 7, 2:26 AM 11° 11° above NE Tue May 7, 3:58 AM 17° 14° above NW 13° above N Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Time Zone) May 3, Friday 11 a.m. - SpaceCast Weekly (All Channels) 12 p.m. - NASA’s 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge (All Channels) 4 p.m. - NASA’s 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge (All Channels)  May 4, Saturday 2:30 a.m. – Coverage of the launch of the SpaceX CRS-17 Dragon Cargo Craft Mission to the International Space Station; launch is scheduled at 2:48 a.m. ET (All Channels) TBD - SpaceX CRS-17 post-launch news conference May 6, Monday 5:30 a.m. - Coverage of the rendezvous and capture of the SpaceX CRS-17 Dragon Cargo Craft at the International Space Station; capture scheduled at 7 a.m. ET (All Channels) 9 a.m. - Coverage of the installation of the SpaceX CRS-17 Dragon Cargo Craft to the International Space Station (All Channels) Noon – International Space Station In-Flight Event for the Canadian Space Agency with the “Bring Space to Your School Contest” in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, and astronaut David Saint-Jacques of CSA (Public Channel with interpretation; Media Channel in native language) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar May 03 - [Apr 30] Dragon CRS-17/ OCO-3/ STP-H6 Falcon 9 Launch (International Space Station) May 03 - Comet 138P/Shoemaker-Levy Perihelion (1.703 AU) May 03 - [Apr 27] Amor Asteroid 2019 HP Near-Earth Flyby (0.024 AU) May 03 - Amor Asteroid 4957 Brucemurray Closest Approach To Earth (1.066 AU) May 03 - James Hey's 110th Birthday (1909) May 04 - [Apr 27] Star Wars Day May 04 - [Apr 27] STP-27RD Electron Launch May 04 - Comet 306P/LINEAR At Opposition (1.827 AU) May 04 - Comet 3D/Biela Closest Approach To Earth (2.294 AU) May 04 - [Apr 30] Aten Asteroid 2019 HV3 Near-Earth Flyby (0.032 AU) May 04 - Asteroid 4103 Chahine Closest Approach To Earth (1.635 AU) May 04 - Asteroid 160512 Franck-Hertz Closest Approach To Earth (2.027 AU) May 04 - Centaur Object 471143 Dziewanna At Opposition (35.085 AU) May 04 - 30th Anniversary (1989), Magellan Launch (Venus Orbiter) May 04 - Fritz von Opel's 120th Birthday (1899) May 05 - [Apr 28] Space Day May 05 - [Apr 28] National Astronaut Day May 05 - Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower Peak May 05 - Comet 102P/Shoemaker At Opposition (3.461 AU) May 05 - Comet 186P/Garradd Perihelion (4.389 AU) May 05 - Amor Asteroid 2016 GF216 Near-Earth Flyby (0.092 AU) May 05 - Amor Asteroid 1980 Tezcatlipoca Closest Approach To Earth (1.244 AU) May 05 - Asteroid 84225 Verish Closest Approach To Earth (1.477 AU) May 05 - 20th Anniversary (1999), Galileo, Callisto 20 Flyby May 06 - Comet P/2019 A8 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (1.646 AU) May 06 - Comet P/2012 O2 (McNaught) Perihelion (1.692 AU) May 06 - Amor Asteroid 2009 MN8 Near-Earth Flyby (0.076 AU) May 06 - Apollo Asteroid 1865 Cerberus Closest Approach To Earth (0.369 AU) May 06 - Asteroid 2001 Einstein Closest Approach To Earth (0.859 AU) May 06 - Asteroid 18610 Arthurdent Closest Approach To Earth (1.823 AU) May 07 - Comet 222P/LINEAR Closest Approach To Earth (1.281 AU) May 07 - Comet 312P/NEAT At Opposition (2.832 AU) May 07 - Comet 184P/Lovas At Opposition (3.245 AU) May 07 - Comet C/2018 F4 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (3.253 AU) May 07 - [Apr 30] Apollo Asteroid 2019 HQ3 Near-Earth Flyby (0.040 AU) May 07 - Asteroid 6758 Jesseowens Closest Approach To Earth (1.299 AU) JPL Space Calendar

What makes a planet habitable Food for Thought What makes a planet habitable

Hubble Spots Stunning Spiral Galaxy Space Image of the Week Hubble Spots Stunning Spiral Galaxy