1. Space News Update - October 16, 2014 - In the News Departments
Story 1:
New Horizons Publishes First Research Paper in 'Science,'
Describing Numerous Pluto System Findings
Story 2:
Rapid Formation of New Stars in Distant Galaxies
Story 3: Antarctic Maximum Sea Ice Extent Breaks Streak of Record Highs
Departments
The Night Sky
ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar
NASA-TV Highlights
Food for Thought
Space Image of the Week

2. New Horizons Publishes First Research Paper in 'Science,'
Describing Numerous Pluto System Findings
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. Rapid Formation of New Stars in Distant Galaxies

4. 2015 Antarctic Maximum Sea Ice Extent Breaks Streak of Record Highs

5. The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Friday, October 16
• The Moon hangs over Saturn and Antares in the southwest at dusk, as shown here.
• This is the time of year when, after nightfall, W-shaped Cassiopeia stands on end halfway up the northeastern sky — and when, off to its left, the dim Little Dipper extends leftward from Polaris in the north.
Saturday, October 17
• After dark, spot the W pattern of Cassiopeia standing on end high in northeast. The third segment of the W, counting from the top, points almost straight down. Extend it twice as far down and you're at the Double Cluster in Perseus. This pair of star-swarms is dimly apparent to the unaided eye in a dark sky, and visible in binoculars or a small, wide-field telescope from almost anywhere.
Sunday, October 18
• Look for the little constellation Delphinus about a fist at arm's length upper left of Altair early these evenings. It's a familiar group to scan with binoculars. But did you know about its twin orange variable stars?
Monday, October 19
• This is the time of year when the Big Dipper lies horizontal low in the north-northwest in the evening. How low? The farther south you are, the lower. At 40° north (New York, Denver) its bottom stars twinkle nearly 10° up, but at Miami (26° N) the entire Dipper skims beneath the northern horizon.
Tuesday, October 20
• First-quarter Moon (exact at 4:31 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time). The Moon stands in the south at sunset. After dark, look to the Moon's upper left for Alpha and Beta Capricorni, both 3rd magnitude. Alpha, the higher one, is a naked-eye double star (separation 0.1°). Use binoculars to see that Beta is a closer, more unequal double.
• The Orionid meteor shower should be active from midnight to dawn Wednesday and Thursday mornings. It's a middling shower, with about 20 meteors per hour visible before the first light of dawn under ideal dark-sky conditions. The shower's radiant is near the top of Orion's club.
Sky & Telescope

6. ISS Sighting Opportunities
Date
Visible
Max Height
Appears
Disappears
Fri Oct 16, 7:45 PM
2 min
15°
11° above NNW
15° above NNE
Sat Oct 17, 6:53 PM
12°
10° above N
10° above NNE
Sat Oct 17, 8:28 PM
< 1 min
10° above NW
15° above NNW
Sun Oct 18, 7:36 PM
23°
23° above NNE
Mon Oct 19, 6:44 PM
4 min
16°
10° above NNW
10° above ENE
Mon Oct 19, 8:19 PM
1 min
23° above NW
Tue Oct 20, 7:27 PM
43°
38° above ENE
Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

7. NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Time Zone) Monday, October 19
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)
Monday, October 19
11:30 a.m., NASA Live: Commercial Crew with Astronauts Suni Williams & Bob Behnken (all channels)
Tuesday, October 20
2:30 p.m., In-Flight Interview with the Google Zeitgeist Conference (all channels)
Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

8. Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar
Oct 16 - [Oct 14] TurkSat 4B Proton M-Briz M Launch
Oct 16 - Mercury At Its Greatest Western Elongation (18 Degrees)
Oct 16 - Comet 118P/Shoemaker-Levy Closest Approach To Earth (1.724 AU)
Oct 16 - [Oct 14] Apollo Asteroid 2015 TG144 Near-Earth Flyby (0.034 AU)
Oct 16 - Apollo Asteroid 2015 TE Near-Earth Flyby (0.059 AU)
Oct 16 - Asteroid 3000 Leonardo Closest Approach To Earth (0.933 AU)
Oct 16 - Asteroid Lovejoy Closest Approach To Earth (1.134 AU)
Oct 16 - Asteroid 4017 Disneya Closest Approach To Earth (1.382 AU)
Oct 16 - Asteroid 8129 Michaelbusch Closest Approach To Earth (1.463 AU)
Oct 16 - Asteroid 4134 Schutz Closest Approach To Earth (1.529 AU)
Oct 16 - Asteroid Usuda Closest Approach To Earth (1.965 AU)
Oct 16 - Kuiper Belt Object (2005 UQ513) At Opposition ( AU)
Oct 17 - [Oct 12] Apstar 9 CZ-3B/E Launch
Oct 17 - Mars Passes 0.4 Degrees From Jupiter
Oct 17 - [Oct 16] Comet P/2015 TO19 (Lemmon-PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (2.060 AU)
Oct 17 - Amor Asteroid 2015 TL Near-Earth Flyby (0.082 AU)
Oct 17 - Asteroid 7958 Leakey Closest Approach To Earth (0.775 AU)
Oct 17 - Apollo Asteroid Tomaiyowit Closest Approach To Earth (0.917 AU)
Oct 17 - Apollo Asteroid 1865 Cerberus Closest Approach To Earth (0.987 AU)
Oct 17 - Asteroid 4342 Freud Closest Approach To Earth (1.675 AU)
Oct 17 - Dwarf Planet Eris At Opposition ( AU)
Oct 17 - Kartchner Caverns State Park Star Party, Arizona
Oct 17 - Griffith Observatory Star Party, Los Angeles, California
Oct 17 - Freimut Borngen's 85th Birthday (1930)
Oct 17 - Edouard Roche's 195th Birthday (1820)
Oct 18 - Comet 287P/Christensen At Opposition (2.430 AU)
Oct 18 - Comet C/2014 U3 (Kowalski) At Opposition (3.878 AU)
Oct 18 - Aten Asteroid 2014 UR Near-Earth Flyby (0.010 AU)
Oct 18 - Apollo Asteroid 2011 SE97 Near-Earth Flyby (0.031 AU)
Oct 18 - [Oct 16] Amor Asteroid 2015 TZ237 Near-Earth Flyby (0.073 AU)
JPL Space Calendar

9. CubeSat Launchers Expected to Open Research Opportunities for All
Food for Thought
CubeSat Launchers Expected to Open Research Opportunities for All

10. A Gegenschein Lunar Eclipse
Space Image of the Week
A Gegenschein Lunar Eclipse