Space News Update - June 15, In the News Story 1: Story 1: NuSTAR Black Hole Seeker Lifts Off Story 2: Story 2: China Set for Historic Mission Story 3: Story 3: Cassini Sees Tropical Lakes on Saturn Moon Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

NuSTAR Black Hole Seeker Lifts Off

China Set for Historic Mission

Cassini Sees Tropical Lakes on Saturn Moon

The Night Sky Friday, June 15 · With summer beginning in just five days, Scorpius is already rearing up in the southeast at nightfall. Its brightest star is orange Antares. The "outrigger" stars of Antares are just below and upper right of it. Farther upper right is the row of stars marking Scorpius's head. This is a grand area to explore with a sky atlas and binoculars. Early risers can watch the waning Moon march toward Jupiter and Venus, which are emerging this week from the sunrise glow. (The visibility of the dim objects in bright dawn is exaggerated here. For clarity, the Moon is shown three times its actual apparent size.) Sky & Telescope diagram · As dawn brightens Saturday morning, the Moon, Jupiter, and Venus form a diagonal line above where the Sun will rise, as shown here. Saturday, June 16 · If you're awake in early dawn Sunday morning, look low in the east-northeast for the thin waning crescent Moon close to Jupiter, as shown here. As dawn brightens look for Venus 9° to Jupiter's lower left. Bring binoculars.

The Night Sky Sunday, June 17 · Can you see the big Coma Berenices star cluster? Does your light pollution really hide it, or do you just not know exactly where to look? The cluster is 2/5 of the way from Denebola (Leo's tail) to the end of the Big Dipper's handle (Ursa Major's tail). The cluster is about 5° wide — a big, dim glow in at least a moderately dark sky. Its brightest members form an inverted Y that nearly fills a binocular view. Monday, June 18 · Vega is the brightest star on the eastern side of the evening sky. Deneb is the brightest to its lower left. Altair is farther to Vega's lower right. These form the big Summer Triangle. · This season there's another, temporary "Summer Triangle" toward the southwest: bright Arcturus high on top, the Saturn-Spica pair below it, and Mars off to the pair's right or lower right.

ISS Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting InformationSatellite Sighting Information For Denver: SATELLITELOCALDURATION MAX ELEV APPROACHDEPARTURE DATE/TIME(MIN)(DEG)(DEG-DIR) ISSFri Jun 15/10:18 PM< above N10 above NNE ISSFri Jun 15/11:55 PM< above N23 above NNE ISSSat Jun 16/11:00 PM21615 above N12 above NE ISSSun Jun 17/00:35 AM< above NW13 above NW ISSSun Jun 17/10:06 PM21211 above N10 above NE ISSSun Jun 17/11:42 PM< above NNW31 above NNW ISSMon Jun 18/09:11 PM11010 above N10 above NNE ISSMon Jun 18/10:48 PM22420 above N21 above NE

NASA-TV Highlights Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.NASA website June 18, Monday 10:10 a.m. - ISS Expedition 31 In-Flight Event for ESA with Euronews - JSC (Public and Media Channels)

Space Calendar Jun 15 - Asteroid 4103 Chahine Closest Approach To Earth (1.416 AU) Jun 15 - Asteroid 2161 Grissom Closest Approach To Earth (1.878 AU) Jun 15 - Asteroid Billcooke Closest Approach To Earth (2.477 AU) Jun 16 - Asteroid 2712 Keaton Closest Approach To Earth (1.185 AU) Jun 16 - Asteroid 945 Barcelona Closest Approach To Earth (2.084 AU) Jun 17 - Moon Occults Jupiter Jun 17 - Asteroid Greensleeves Closest Approach To Earth (2.074 AU) Jun 18 - NROL-38 Atlas 5 Launch Jun 18 - Comet P/2005 JN (Spacewatch) Closest Approach To Earth (1.528 AU) Jun 18 - Asteroid Sloan Closest Approach To Earth (2.026 AU) JPL Space Calendar

Food for Thought The pressure is on for aquanauts

Space Image of the Week Image Credit& Copyright: Bill Snyder (Heavens Mirror Observatory) Spiral galaxies M65 (top) and M66