1. Space News Update - December 6, 2016 - In the News Departments
Story 1:
Climate Cycles May Explain How Running Water Carved Mars' Surface Features
Story 2:
LIGO Resumes Search for Gravitational Waves
Story 3: SpaceX Sets Dec. 16 for First Flight since Launch Pad Explosion
Departments
The Night Sky
ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar
NASA-TV Highlights
Food for Thought
Space Image of the Week

2. Climate Cycles May Explain How Running Water Carved Mars' Surface Features
In this computer graphic, NASA's Voyager 1 probe, moving toward upper left, nears the edge of the sun's influence, flying through a region of space dominated by a "magnetic highway" that helps mediate the flow of particles into and out of the solar system. The region includes particles from the sun's southern hemisphere that have been forced northward by the pressure of the interstellar wind. Voyager 1 is expected to cross the boundary into interstellar space sometime within the next few years if not sooner. (Credit: NASA)

3. LIGO Resumes Search for Gravitational Waves

4. SpaceX Sets Dec. 16 for First Flight since Launch Pad Explosion

5. The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Tuesday, December 6
In late twilight, the Moon, Mars, and Venus form a long diagonal line in the south to southwest. Well below the Moon twinkles Fomalhaut.
Wednesday, December 7
First-quarter Moon (exactly so at 4:03 a.m. on this date EST). After dark, look for the Great Square of Pegasus high above it.
Earliest sunset of the year (if you're near latitude 40° north). By the time of the solstice and longest night on December 21st, the Sun actually sets 3 minutes later. But it doesn't rise its latest until January 4th. For these slight discrepancies, blame the tilt of Earth's axis and the ellipticity of Earth's orbit.
Thursday, December 8
The left side of the Great Square of Pegasus points down past the gibbous Moon early this evening. Below the Moon is Beta Ceti (Deneb Kaitos, tail of the sea monster), about as bright as the stars of the Great Square.
Sky & Telescope

6. ISS Sighting Opportunities
ISS For Denver:
Date
Visible
Max Height
Appears
Disappears
Tue Dec 6, 5:54 PM
3 min
15°
10° above NW
13° above N
Wed Dec 7, 5:01 PM
5 min
20°
10° above WNW
11° above NNE
Thu Dec 8, 5:48 PM
2 min
11°
10° above NNW
10° above NNE
Fri Dec 9, 4:58 PM
< 1 min
11° above N
Sat Dec 10, 5:41 PM
1 min
10°
10° above N
Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

7. NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Time Zone)
MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013
NASA
MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013
NASA
MAVEN Launch November 18, 2013
NASA
NASA-TV Highlights
(all times Eastern Time Zone)
Friday, December 9
7:30 a.m. - Coverage of the Launch of the JAXA HTV-6 Cargo Craft to the ISS (Launch is scheduled at 8:26 a.m. ET) (starts at 7:45 a.m.) (all channels)
12 p.m. - ISS Expedition 50 In-Flight Interview with Moxie Productions for the Discovery Channel and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson of NASA (Starts at 12:20 p.m.) (all channels)
Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

8. Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Dec 06 - Moon Occults Neptune
Dec 06 - Comet 227P/Catalina-LINEAR Closest Approach To Earth (1.517 AU)
Dec 06 -Apollo Asteroid 2016 WD7 Near-Earth Flyby (0.011 AU)
Dec 06 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 WH10 Near-Earth Flyby (0.015 AU)
Dec 06 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 TD18 Near-Earth Flyby (0.046 AU)
Dec 06 - Amor Asteroid 2016 UN36 Near-Earth Flyby (0.054 AU)
Dec 06 - Asteroid Santiago Closest Approach To Earth (1.173 AU)
Dec 06 - Asteroid 9885 Linux Closest Approach To Earth (1.229 AU)
Dec 06 - Asteroid Moron Closest Approach To Earth (1.578 AU)
Dec 06 - Asteroid Okina-Ouna Closest Approach To Earth (1.966 AU)
Dec 06 - Asteroid Jeffgrossman Closest Approach To Earth (2.138 AU)
Dec 07 - Wideband Gapfiller Satellite 8 (WGS-8) Delta 4M Launch
Dec 07 - Resourcesat 2/ IITMSAT/ Max Valier Sat/ Venta 1 PSLV Launch
Dec 07 - Comet 73P-AT/Schwassmann-Wachmann Closest Approach To Earth (1.942 AU)
Dec 07 - Comet 315P/LONEOS Perihelion (2.420 AU)
Dec 07 - Asteroid 4 Vesta Occults TYC (10.9 Magnitude Star)
Dec 07 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 XE Near-Earth Flyby (0.004 AU)
Dec 07 - Amor Asteroid 2016 WV Near-Earth Flyby (0.069 AU)
Dec 07 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 WD3 Near-Earth Flyby (0.070 AU)
Dec 07 - Asteroid Goodall Closest Approach To Earth (1.113 AU)
Dec 07 - Asteroid 2187 La Silla Closest Approach To Earth (1.532 AU)
Dec 07 - Asteroid Heimlich Closest Approach To Earth (2.188 AU)
Dec 07 - Asteroid Nicaragua Closest Approach To Earth (2.210 AU)
Dec 08 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 WQ8 Near-Earth Flyby (0.013 AU)
JPL Space Calendar

9. Where Giant Galaxies Are Born
New Technique Puts Exoplanets on the Scale
New Technique Puts Exoplanets on the Scale
Food for Thought
Where Giant Galaxies Are Born

10. Space Image of the Week W5: The Soul of Star Formation
Image Credit: José Jiménez Priego (Astromet)