Space News Update - May 13, In the News Story 1: Story 1: NASA Spots Square-Shaped 'Hole' in the Sun Story 2: Story 2: 'Hypervelocity Star' May Reveal Clues about Dark Matter in Milky Way Story 3: Story 3: Satellite operators to proceed with launches from Russia Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

NASA Spots Square-Shaped 'Hole' in the Sun

'Hypervelocity Star' May Reveal Clues About Dark Matter in Milky Way

Satellite operators to proceed with launches from Russia

The Night Sky Tuesday, May 13 The bright Moon, practically full, shines near Saturn. The Moon creeps to within 1° to 3° of Saturn before dawn Wednesday morning for the Americas. For New Zealand and most of Australia, the Moon occults (covers and uncovers) Saturn during nighttime; map and timetables. Wednesday, May 14 Full Moon (exact at 3:16 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.) Look for Saturn to its upper right. Once the Moon is well up after dark, look for Antares and the other stars of upper Scorpius below it. Thursday, May 15 Jupiter's moon Io crosses the face of the planet from 9:41 to 11:57 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Io's tiny but more visible shadow follows it across from 10:42 p.m. to 12:59 a.m. EDT. Friday, May 16 Look for Mercury as twilight darkens. It's low in the west- northwest, far to the lower right of Jupiter. Mercury is coming into its highest apparition of 2014 for skywatchers at mid-northern latitudes. Saturday, May 17 Arcturus shines high in the southeast these evenings. Vega shines much lower in the northeast. Look a third of the way from Arcturus to Vega for dim little Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, with its one modestly bright star, Alphecca or Gemma. Two thirds of the way from Arcturus to Vega glimmers the dim Keystone of Hercules. Sky & Telescope Saturn in occultation behind the moon, on Sept. 18, Credit: Victor C. Rogus. Space.com

ISS Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting InformationSatellite Sighting Information ISS For Denver: DateVisibleMax HeightAppearsDisappears Wed May 14, 4:50 AM4 min17°10 above S13 above E Fri May 16, 4:49 AM4 min52°13 above SSW31 above ENE Sat May 17, 4:02 AM3 min28°24 above SSE15 above E

NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Daylight Time) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA websiteNASA website May 13, Tuesday 3 p.m. - ISS Expedition 39 Farewells and Hatch Closure Coverage (hatch closure scheduled at 3:15 p.m. ET) - JSC (All Channels) 6:15 p.m. - ISS Expedition 39/Soyuz TMA-11M Undocking Coverage (undocking scheduled at 6:36 p.m. ET) - JSC (All Channels) 8:45 p.m. - ISS Expedition 39/Soyuz TMA-11M Deorbit Burn and Landing Coverage (Deorbit burn scheduled at 9:04 p.m. ET; landing near Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan scheduled at 9:58 p.m. ET) - JSC via Kazakhstan (All Channels) May 14, Wednesday 12 a.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 39/Soyuz TMA-11M Landing and Post-Landing Activities - HQ (All Channels) 12 p.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 39/Soyuz TMA-11M Landing and Post-Landing Activities; scheduled to include post-landing interviews with Expedition 39 Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA and Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the return of Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin to Chkalovsky Airfield near Star City, Russia (some portion of the Wakata interview might be in Japanese) - JSC (All Channels) May 15, Thursday 10 a.m. - Video File of the ISS Expedition 40/41 Crew Departure from Star City, Russia for Baikonur, Kazakhstan - JSC (All Channels) 12 p.m. - ISS Expedition 40 In-Flight Interview with KMGH-TV, Denver - JSC (All Channels)

May 13 - [May 06] Soyuz Return To Earth (International Space Station)Soyuz Return To Earth May 13 - Asteroid Zsazsa Closest Approach To Earth (1.647 AU)Asteroid Zsazsa May 14 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #379 (OTM-379)Cassini May 14 - Moon Occults SaturnMoon Occults Saturn May 14 - Comet 295P/LINEAR Perihelion (2.049 AU)Comet 295P/LINEARPerihelion May 14 - Kuiper Belt Object Quaoar Occults 2UCAC (14.5 Magnitude Star)Kuiper Belt Object Quaoar Occults 2UCAC May 14 - Asteroid 9941 Iguanodo Closest Approach To Earth (1.374 AU)Asteroid 9941 Iguanodo May 14 - Asteroid 4122 Ferrari Closest Approach To Earth (1.437 AU)Asteroid 4122 Ferrari May 14 - Asteroid 3267 Glo Closest Approach To Earth (2.091 AU)Asteroid 3267 Glo May th Anniversary (2009), Herschel/Planck LaunchHerschel/Planck May th Anniversary (1864), Orgueil Meteorite Shower in FranceOrgueil Meteorite Shower in France May 15 - GPS 2F-6 Delta 4 LaunchGPS 2F-6Delta 4 Launch May 15 - Venus Passes 1.3 Degrees from UranusVenusUranus May 15 - Asteroid 9 Metis At Opposition (9.6 Magnitude)Asteroid 9 MetisAt Opposition May 15 - Asteroid 4763 Ride Closest Approach To Earth (1.493 AU)Asteroid 4763 Ride May 15 - Asteroid 1501 Baade Closest Approach To Earth (2.090 AU)Asteroid 1501 Baade May 15 - Asteroid 7818 Muirhead Closest Approach To Earth (2.241 AU)Asteroid 7818 Muirhead May 15 - Plutino Huya At Opposition ( AU)Plutino HuyaAt Opposition May 16 - Express AM-4R Proton-M Briz-M LaunchExpress AM-4R May 16 - Comet P/2013 EW90 (Tenagra) At Opposition (3.142 AU)Comet P/2013 EW90 (Tenagra)At Opposition May 16 - Centaur Object Chariklo Occults 2UCAC (14.8 Magnitude Star)Centaur Object Chariklo Occults 2UCAC May 16 - Asteroid 2014 HL132 Near-Earth Flyby (0.052 AU)Asteroid 2014 HL132Near-Earth Flyby May 16 - Asteroid 697 Galilea Closest Approach To Earth (2.035 AU)Asteroid 697 Galilea May th Anniversary (1969), Venera 5, Venus ImpactVenera 5 May 17 - [May 10] Cassini, Titan FlybyCassini May 17 - Comet P/2012 B1 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (3.165 AU)Comet P/2012 B1 (PANSTARRS)Closest Approach To Earth May 17 - Comet C/2014 G1 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (4.679 AU)Comet C/2014 G1 (PANSTARRS)Closest Approach To Earth May 17 - Asteroid 2010 JO33 Near-Earth Flyby (0.010 AU)Asteroid 2010 JO33Near-Earth Flyby May 17 - [May 06] Asteroid 2014 JH15 Near-Earth Flyby (0.020 AU)Asteroid 2014 JH15Near-Earth Flyby May 17 - [May 10] Asteroid 2014 JA31 Near-Earth Flyby (0.066 AU)Asteroid 2014 JA31Near-Earth Flyby May 17 - Asteroid 3498 Belton Closest Approach To Earth (1.584 AU)Asteroid 3498 Belton May 17 - Asteroid 7220 Philnicholson Closest Approach To Earth (1.753 AU)Asteroid 7220 Philnicholson May 17 - Asteroid 7755 Haute-Provence Closest Approach To Earth (1.764 AU)Asteroid 7755 Haute-Provence May 17 - Asteroid 6824 Mallory Closest Approach To Earth (2.692 AU)Asteroid 6824 Mallory May th Anniversary (1969), Venera 6, Venus ImpactVenera 6 Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar The launchings of twin spacecraft Venera 5 and 6 were timed so they would arrive at Venus one day apart. Venera 6 transmitted data for only 51 minutes as it fell, about 2 minutes less than Venera 5. Just before the probe was presumably crushed, its instruments indicated an atmospheric pressure of 26 Earth atmospheres and an altitude of km. (see more)(see more)

Food for Thought NASA West Antarctic Ice Sheet Findings: Glacier Loss Appears Unstoppable Time Lapsed Picture of GlacierPicture

Space Image of the Week Image Credit: Viking Project, USGS, NASA Valles Marineris: The Grand Canyon of Mars