Space News Update - January 31, In the News Story 1: Story 1: Weather-Mapping a Brown Dwarf Story 2: Story 2: NASA to buy more Soyuz seats for space station crews Story 3: Story 3: How We Know Gravity is Not (Just) a Force Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Weather-Mapping a Brown Dwarf

NASA to buy more Soyuz seats for space station crews

How We Know Gravity is Not (Just) a Force

The Night Sky Friday, January 31  In twilight, look very low above the west-southwest horizon for the thin waxing crescent Moon with Mercury to its upper left, as shown here. Saturday, February 1  Mercury now shines below the thin crescent Moon low in the west-southwest after sunset, as shown here.  Jupiter's moon Ganymede casts its tiny black shadow onto Jupiter from 5:42 to 8:22 p.m. EST. Jupiter's Great Red Spot crosses the planet's central meridian around 11:48 p.m. EST (8:48 p.m. PST). Sunday, February 2  In Taurus, in the familiar area of the Hyades, two lesser-known clusters await your scope — or even good binoculars if you have a dark sky. NGC 1647 and sparser 1746 lie exactly on the line from Aldebaran to Beta (β) Tauri (Elnath). Sky & Telescope Monday, February 3  The crescent Moon this evening shines to the left of the Great Square of Pegasus. The Great Square is tipped up onto one corner, as it always is at this time of year. Tuesday, February 4  Jupiter's moon Io disappears behind Jupiter's western limb around 8:57 p.m. EST. Twenty minutes later, Jupiter's Great Red Spot crosses the planet's central meridian. Finally, Io reappears out of eclipse from Jupiter's shadow, just east of the planet, around 11:56 p.m. EST (8:56 p.m. PST).

ISS Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting InformationSatellite Sighting Information ISS For Denver: DateVisibleMax HeightAppearsDisappears Tue Feb 4, 7:19 PM 1 min18°10 above SSW18 above SSW

NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Daylight Time) February 3, Monday 9 a.m. - NASA Discusses James Webb Space Telescope Progress - GSFC (All Channels) 10 a.m. - Space Station Live - JSC (All Channels) 11 a.m. - ISS Progress 52 Undocking Coverage (Undocking scheduled at 11:21 a.m. ET) - JSC (All Channels) February 4, Tuesday 6:35 a.m. - ISS Expedition 38 In-Flight Interview for JAXA with the Fukuoka Prefecture and Kyushu University - JSC (All Channels) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA websiteNASA website

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Jan 31 - Chinese New YearChinese New Year Jan 31 - Mercury At Its Greatest Eastern Elongation (18 Degrees)MercuryElongation Jan 31 - Comet 249P/LINEAR At Opposition (3.914 AU)Comet 249P/LINEARAt Opposition Jan 31 - Asteroid 2008 CM20 Near-Earth Flyby (0.086 AU)Asteroid 2008 CM20Near-Earth Flyby Jan 31 - Asteroid 2985 Shakespeare Closest Approach To Earth (1.987 AU)Asteroid 2985 Shakespeare Feb 01 - SPOT 7/ CanX 4 & 5 PSLV-C24 LaunchSPOT 7CanX 4 & 5 Feb 01 - Comet P/2013 TW5 (Spacewatch) At Opposition (5.014 AU)Comet P/2013 TW5 (Spacewatch)At Opposition Feb 01 - [Jan 30] Asteroid 2014 BU43 Near-Earth Flyby (0.031 AU)Asteroid 2014 BU43Near-Earth Flyby Feb 01 - Asteroid 2074 Shoemaker Closest Approach To Earth (1.018 AU)Asteroid 2074 Shoemaker Feb 01 - Asteroid LPL Closest Approach To Earth (1.635 AU)Asteroid LPL Feb 01 - Asteroid Sunflower Closest Approach To Earth (1.685 AU)Asteroid Sunflower Feb 01 - Asteroid 3123 Dunham Closest Approach To Earth (1.738 AU)Asteroid 3123 Dunham Feb 01 - Asteroid 6000 United Nations Closest Approach To Earth (1.899 AU)Asteroid 6000 United Nations Feb 01 - Asteroid 8489 Boulder Closest Approach To Earth (2.270 AUAsteroid 8489 Boulder Feb th Anniversary (1999), Galileo, Europa 19 FlybyGalileo Feb 02 - [Jan 29] Cassini, Titan FlybyCassiniTitan Flyby Feb 02 - Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy At Opposition (2.930 AU)Comet 129P/Shoemaker-LevyAt Opposition Feb 02 - Comet 254P/McNaught At Opposition (4.631 AU)Comet 254P/McNaughtAt Opposition Feb 02 - [Jan 30] Asteroid 2014 BX43 Near-Earth Flyby (0.023 AU)Asteroid 2014 BX43Near-Earth Flyby Feb 02 - Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote Closest Approach To Earth (6.316 AU)Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote Feb 03 - Comet 129P/Shoemaker-Levy Closest Approach To Earth (2.930 AU)Comet 129P/Shoemaker-LevyClosest Approach To Earth Feb 03 - Asteroid 4975 Dohmoto Occults HIP (5.5 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 4975 Dohmoto Occults HIP Feb 03 - [Jan 29] Asteroid 2014 BW32 Near-Earth Flyby (0.005 AU)Asteroid 2014 BW32Near-Earth Flyby Feb 03 - Asteroid 2013 BZ45 Near-Earth Flyby (0.069 AU)Asteroid 2013 BZ45Near-Earth Flyby Feb 03 - Asteroid 7707 Yes Closest Approach To Earth (1.552 AU)Asteroid 7707 Yes Feb 03 - Asteroid 6223 Dahl Closest Approach To Earth (1.909 AU)Asteroid 6223 Dahl Feb 04 - Comet 292P/Li Perihelion (2.522 AU)Comet 292P/LiPerihelion Feb 04 - [Jan 31] Asteroid 2014 BS57 Near-Earth Flyby (0.054 AU)Asteroid 2014 BS57Near-Earth Flyby

Food for Thought NASA-Sponsored 'Disk Detective' Lets Public Search for New Planetary Nurseries

Space Image of the Week Solar Dynamics Observatory Sees Lunar Transit Image Credit: NASA/SDO