Space News Update - February 24, In the News Story 1: Magnetic Field Laboratory Being Readied for Launch Story 2: Hubble Gets Best View of Circumstellar Debris Disk Distorted by Planet Story 3: Story 3: What’s Important to Know about Planet Mercury Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

Magnetic Field Laboratory Being Readied for Launch

Hubble Gets Best View of Circumstellar Debris Disk Distorted by Planet 1.Ratchet Wrench ‘ ed’ to Space Station

What’s Important to Know about Planet Mercury?

The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Tuesday, February 24 Soon after nightfall, look upper right of the Moon for the Pleiades and upper left of the Moon for Aldebaran and the Hyades. One of the most famous challenge objects for amateur astronomers is Sirius B, Sirius's white-dwarf companion. The pair has been widening for the last two decades, and now Sirius B stands a good 10.7 arcseconds to Sirius's east. A much easier white dwarf is Omicron 2 Eridani B, also described there and also now in the evening sky. Wednesday, February 25 Look for Aldebaran shining near the first-quarter Moon. Thursday, February 26 Watch Jupiter's satellite Europa reappear from eclipse out of Jupiter's shadow at 10:23 p.m. EST (7:23 p.m. PST), just off Jupiter's eastern limb. Mercury is at greatest elongation low in tomorrow's dawn, 27° west along the ecliptic from the Sun. Friday, February 27 Venus and Mars in the western twilight have widened to be 2.7° apart. Find faint little Mars beneath Venus. Saturday, February 28 Early this evening, the dark limb of the waxing gibbous Moon will occult (cover) the 3.6-magnitude star Lambda Geminorum for North America east of the Mississippi and north of the deepest South.

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 24, 6:09 PM4 min60°34 above WNW12 above SE Wed Feb 25, 6:53 PM1 min12°12 above SW10 above SSW

NASA-TV Highlights Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA websiteNASA website MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013 NASA Tuesday, February 24  6 a.m. - Coverage of U.S. Spacewalk # 30 (Spacewalk scheduled to begin at 7:10 a.m. ET; Wilmore and Virts) (all channels) Wednesday, February 25  6 a.m. - Coverage of U.S. Spacewalk # 29 (all channels) Thursday, February 26  8:30 a.m. - ISS Expedition 42 In-Flight Event with Aviation Week and Space Technology and WAAY-TV (all channels) (all times Eastern Time Zone)

Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar  Feb 24 - Mercury At Its Greatest Western Elongation (27 Degrees)Mercury  Feb 24 - Comet 154P/Brewington At Opposition (3.192 AU)Comet 154P/Brewington  Feb 24 - Comet P/2011 U2 (Bressi) Closest Approach To Earth (4.331 AU)Comet P/2011 U2 (Bressi)Closest Approach To Earth  Feb 24 - Asteroid 2015 CO13 Near-Earth Flyby (0.034 AU)Asteroid 2015 CO13  Feb 24 - Asteroid 2015 BA511 Near-Earth Flyby (0.099 AU)Asteroid 2015 BA511  Feb 24 - Asteroid Thoreau Closest Approach To Earth (1.134 AU)Asteroid Thoreau  Feb 24 - Asteroid 6676 Monet Closest Approach To Earth (1.678 AU)Asteroid 6676 Monet  Feb 24 - Asteroid 7169 Linda Closest Approach To Earth (1.713 AU)Asteroid 7169 Linda  Feb 24 - Asteroid Curly Closest Approach To Earth (2.640 AU)Asteroid Curly  Feb 25 - Comet P/2015 C1 (TOTAS-Gibbs) Closest Approach To Earth (1.958 AU)Comet P/2015 C1 (TOTAS-Gibbs)  Feb 25 - Comet P/2011 U2 (Bressi) At Opposition (4.331 AU)Comet P/2011 U2 (Bressi)  Feb 25 - Asteroid 2013 RZ53 Near-Earth Flyby (0.029 AU)Asteroid 2013 RZ53  Feb 25 - Asteroid 2015 CG1 Near-Earth Flyby (0.085 AU)Asteroid 2015 CG1  Feb 25 - Asteroid 3103 Eger Closest Approach To Earth (1.402 AU)Asteroid 3103 Eger  Feb 25 - Asteroid 3953 Perth Closest Approach To Earth (1.623 AU)Asteroid 3953 Perth  Feb 25 - Asteroid 3140 Stellafane Closest Approach To Earth (2.312 AU)Asteroid 3140 Stellafane  Feb 25 - Plutino Orcus At Opposition ( AU)Plutino Orcus  Feb 26 - Asteroid 612 Veronika Occults HIP (6.7 Magnitude Star)  Feb 26 - Asteroid 224 Oceana Closest Approach To Earth (1.714 AU)Asteroid 224 Oceana  Feb 26 - Asteroid Potato Closest Approach To Earth (2.014 AU)Asteroid Potato  Feb 26 - Asteroid 447 Valentine Closest Approach To Earth (2.067 AU)Asteroid 447 Valentine  Feb 26 - Asteroid Bardot Closest Approach To Earth (2.215 AU)Asteroid Bardot  Feb 27 - Comet C/2014 AA52 (Catalina) Perihelion (2.003 AU)Comet C/2014 AA52 (Catalina)  Feb 27 - Comet P/2012 TK8 (Tenagra) Closest Approach To Earth (3.231 AU)Comet P/2012 TK8 (Tenagra)  Feb 27 - Comet 120P/Mueller At Opposition (3.514 AU)Comet 120P/Mueller  Feb 27 - Asteroid (2003 YK118) Near-Earth Flyby (0.078 AU)Asteroid (2003 YK118)  Feb 27 - Asteroid Roadrunner Closest Approach To Earth (0.871 AU)Asteroid Roadrunner

Food for Thought Close Call! 'Scholz's Star' Grazed Our Solar System 70,000 Years Ago New Technique Puts Exoplanets on the Scale

Space Image of the Week Fibrils Flower on the Sun Image Credit & Copyright: Big Bear Solar Obs., NJIT, Alan Friedman (Averted Imagination)