Space News Update - January 25, In the News Story 1: Story 1: Cassini Spacecraft Reveals Unprecedented Saturn Storm Story 2: Story 2: NASA Officially Joins ESA's 'Dark Universe' Mission Story 3: Story 3: Did An 8th-Century Gamma-Ray Burst Irradiate Earth? Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Cassini Spacecraft Reveals Unprecedented Saturn Storm

NASA Officially Joins ESA's 'Dark Universe' Mission

Did An 8th-Century Gamma-Ray Burst Irradiate Earth?

The Night Sky Friday, January 25 · The Moon this evening shines not quite midway between Procyon, to its lower right, and Pollux, to the Moon's upper left. Saturday, January 26 · Full Moon (exact at 11:38 p.m. EST). The Moon is in dim Cancer, with Procyon shining off to its right or upper right during evening, and Pollux and Castor above it. · Algol in Perseus is at its minimum brightness, magnitude 3.4 instead of its usual 2.1, for a couple hours centered on 6:26 p.m. EST. Watch it gradually rebrighten though the evening. Sunday, January 27 · The Moon shines high in the east by 9 p.m. Lower left of it, by roughly a fist-width at arm's length, sparkles Regulus in Leo, as shown here. The Sickle of Leo extends upper left from Regulus. The emergence of Leo in the evening sky is always an early sign that spring is eventually coming. Monday, January 28 · Once the waning gibbous Moon is well up in the east in mid- to late evening, look upper left of it for Regulus with the Sickle of Leo extending beyond, as shown here. Look about twice as far to the Moon's right for Alphard, the fire-colored heart of Hydra. Sky & Telescope

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 Jan 25/06:21 AM above NNW 20 above ENE ISSSat Jan 26/05:33 AM31918 above N12 above ENE ISSSun Jan 27/04:44 AM< above NE10 above NE ISSSun Jan 27/06:17 AM46312 above NW35 above ESE ISSMon Jan 28/05:29 AM23634 above NNE25 above ENE

NASA-TV Highlights January 28, Monday 11 a.m. - ISS Update - JSC (All Channels) 1 p.m. - TDRS-K Prelaunch News Conference - KSC (All Channels) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA websiteNASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Jan 25 - Comet C/2012 L2 (LINEAR) Closest Approach To Earth (1.738 AU)Comet C/2012 L2 (LINEAR)Closest Approach To Earth Jan 25 - Comet 259P/Garradd Perihelion (1.798 AU)Comet 259P/GarraddPerihelion Jan 25 - Comet P/2012 WA34 (Lemmon-PANSTARRS) Perihelion (3.173 AU)Comet P/2012 WA34 (Lemmon-PANSTARRS)Perihelion Jan 25 - Comet P/2010 T2 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (3.627 AU)Comet P/2010 T2 (PANSTARRS)Closest Approach To Earth Jan 25 - Asteroid 21 Lutetia Occults TYC (12.1 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 21 Lutetia Occults TYC Jan 25 - Asteroid 5594 Jimmiller Occults HIP (6.5 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 5594 Jimmiller Occults HIP Jan 25 - Asteroid 4457 van Gogh Closest Approach To Earth (1.465 AU)Asteroid 4457 van Gogh Jan 25 - Asteroid Bora-Bora Closest Approach To Earth (1.760 AU)Asteroid Bora-Bora Jan th Anniversary (1983), IRAS LaunchIRAS Jan 26 - STSat 2C Naro 1 LaunchSTSat 2C Jan 26 - Asteroid 21 Lutetia Occults 2UCAC (12.4 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 21 Lutetia Occults 2UCAC Jan 26 - Asteroid 951 Gaspra Closest Approach To Earth (1.289 AU)Asteroid 951 GaspraClosest Approach To Earth Jan 26 - Asteroid 9133 d'Arrest Closest Approach To Earth (1.916 AU)Asteroid 9133 d'Arrest Jan th Anniversary (1978), IUE LaunchIUE Jan 27 - IGS-Radar-4/ IGS-Optical-5 H-2A LaunchIGS-Radar-4IGS-Optical-5 Jan 27 - Asteroid (2000 QV67) Occults HIP (6.1 Magnitude Star)Asteroid (2000 QV67) Occults HIP Jan 27 - [Jan 21] Asteroid 2013 BR18 Near-Earth Flyby (0.062 AU)Asteroid 2013 BR18Near-Earth Flyby Jan th Anniversary (1908), Philibert Melotte's Discovery of Jupiter Moon PasiphaePhilibert Melotte'sPasiphae Jan 28 - Comet 246P/NEAT Perihelion (2.880 AU)Comet 246P/NEATPerihelion Jan 28 - Asteroid 3925 Tret'yakov Occults HIP (6.6 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 3925 Tret'yakov Occults HIP Jan 28 - Asteroid 2011 BY10 Near-Earth Flyby (0.055 AU)Asteroid 2011 BY10Near-Earth Flyby Jan 28 - Asteroid 2004 Lexell Closest Approach To Earth (1.110 AU)Asteroid 2004 Lexell Jan 28 - Asteroid 3709 Polypoites Closest Approach To Earth (4.107 AU)Asteroid 3709 Polypoites

Food for Thought Into deep space: second U.S. firm takes aim at mining asteroids

Space Image of the Week Matijevic Hill Panorama