1. Space News Update - January 29, 2016 - In the News Departments
Story 1:
Astronomers Have a New Tool in the Search For Habitable Exoplanets
Story 2:
Antarctic fungi survive Martian conditions on the International Space Station
Story 3: The Moon Was Produced by a Head-on Collision
Departments
The Night Sky
ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar
NASA-TV Highlights
Food for Thought
Space Image of the Week

2. Astronomers Have a New Tool in the Search For Habitable Exoplanets
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)
These images were obtained using the new calibration technique with the Keck II telescope. On the top is the infrared spectral signature of a cool star. Below is the infrared spectrum through the light frequency comb, showing the reference marks that can be used to measure slight shifts in the star’s light.

3. Antarctic fungi survive Martian conditions on the International Space Station

4. The Moon Was Produced by a Head-on Collision

5. The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Friday, January 29
• Sirius blazes high in the south on the meridian by about 10 p.m. now. Using binoculars, examine the spot 4° south of Sirius (directly below it when on the meridian). Four degrees is somewhat less than the width of a typical binocular's field of view. Can you see a little patch of gray haze there? That's the open star cluster M41, about 2,200 light-years away. Sirius, by contrast, is only 8.6 light-years away. No wonder it looks so bright.
• The eclipsing variable star Algol will be at its minimum light, magnitude 3.4 instead of its usual 2.1, for a couple hours centered on 9:05 p.m. EST.
• If you go out Saturday morning for the dawn planet panorama, you'll find the waning Moon upper left of Spica, as shown above. Off to their left, Mars will be 1½° above fainter Alpha Librae, a wide binocular double star.
Saturday, January 30
• As soon as it's fully dark, spot the equilateral Winter Triangle in the southeast. Sirius is its brightest and lowest star. Betelgeuse stands above Sirius by about two fists at arm's length. To the left of their midpoint shines Procyon.
And standing directly above Procyon now (depending on your latitude) is 3rd-magnitude Beta Canis Minoris, the only other easy naked-eye star of Canis Minor.
Sky & Telescope
Sunday, January 31
• Algol should be at minimum light for a couple hours centered around 5:54 p.m. EST. Watch it brighten through the rest of the evening.
• Last-quarter Moon tonight (exact at 10:28 p.m. EST). The Moon rises around 1 a.m. tonight, in company with Mars. By the dawn of Monday the 1st they're high in the south. Look for 3rd-magnitude Alpha Librae (Zubenelgenubi) 1° south of Mars.
Monday, February 1
• In early dawn of Tuesday the 2nd, the Moon shines over the head of Scorpius about midway between Mars and Saturn.
Tuesday, February 2
• In early dawn of Wednesday the 3rd, you'll find Saturn and Antares below the waning Moon, as shown above.

6. ISS Sighting Opportunities
ISS For Denver:
Date
Visible
Max Height
Appears
Disappears
Sat Jan 30, 7:46 PM
< 1 min
10°
10° above SW
Sun Jan 31, 6:54 PM
2 min
38°
11° above SSW
38° above SSE
Mon Feb 1, 6:02 PM
4 min
21°
11° above S
14° above E
Mon Feb 1, 7:39 PM
21° above W
Tue Feb 2, 6:47 PM
3 min
73°
23° above WSW
44° above NE
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)
9:30 a.m., Tuesday, February 2 - ISS Expedition 46 Educational Event for ESA with Flight Engineer Tim Peake of the European Space Agency (all channels)
10 a.m., Tuesday, February 2 - Space Station Live (all channels)
Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

8. Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar
Jan 29 - [Jan 27] Eutelsat 9B/ EDRS-A Proton-M Briz-M Launch
Jan 29 - Asteroid 8250 Cornell Closest Approach To Earth (2.785 AU)
Jan 29 - Abdus Salam's 90th Birthday (1926)
Jan 29 - Josef de Mendoza y Rios' 255th Birthday (1761)
Jan 30 - Cassini, Distant Flyby of Pan & Polydeuces
Jan 30 - [Jan 26] Comet P/2010 V1 (Ikeya-Murakami) At Opposition (0.674 AU)
Jan 30 - Comet C/2016 A5 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (2.708 AU)
Jan 30 - Comet P/2014 M4 (PANSTARRS) Closest Approach To Earth (2.959 AU)
Jan 30 - Comet 307P/LINEAR At Opposition (3.045 AU)
Jan 30 - Comet 73P-AE/Schwassmann-Wachmann Closest Approach To Earth (3.225 AU)
Jan 30 - Comet 1P/Halley At Opposition ( AU)
Jan 30 - Aten Asteroid 2016 AK193 Near-Earth Flyby (0.061 AU)
Jan 30 - Aten Asteroid 2012 BX34 Near-Earth Flyby (0.067 AU)
Jan 30 - Aten Asteroid 2015 AB44 Near-Earth Flyby (0.068 AU)
Jan 30 - Asteroid 5799 Brewington Closest Approach To Earth (1.997 AU)
Jan 30 - Space School Musical, Pasadena, California
Jan th Anniversary (1996), Yuji Hyakutake's Discovery of the Great Comet of 1996
Jan 30 - Gregory Benford's 75th Birthday (1941)
Jan 31 - [Jan 26] 50th Anniversary (1966), Luna 9 Launch (USSR Moon Lander)
Jan 31 - Comet 141P-D/Machholz Closest Approach To Earth (1.387 AU)
Jan 31 - Comet 73P-BL/Schwassmann-Wachmann Closest Approach To Earth (3.181 AU)
Jan 31 - Comet 158P/Kowal-LINEAR Closest Approach To Earth (3.806 AU)
Jan 31 - Comet 158P/Kowal-LINEAR At Opposition (3.806 AU)
Jan 31 - Comet C/2014 B1 (Schwartz) Closest Approach To Earth (9.173 AU)
Jan 31 - Asteroid 3197 Weissman Closest Approach To Earth (1.475 AU)
Jan 31 - Asteroid 1213 Algeria Closest Approach To Earth (2.297 AU)
Jan 31 - Asteroid Maldives Closest Approach To Earth (2.724 AU)
Jan th Anniversary (1971), Apollo 14 Launch (3rd Manned Moon Landing)
Jan th Anniversary (1961), Mercury-Redstone 2 Launch (Ham The Chimpanzee)
Feb 01 - [Jan 28] Cassini, Titan Flyby
Feb 01 - QB50 Shtil-2.1 Launch
Feb 01 - Comet 73P-R/Schwassmann-Wachmann Closest Approach To Earth (2.968 AU)
JPL Space Calendar

9. Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar
Feb 01 - Comet 73P-P/Schwassmann-Wachmann Closest Approach To Earth (3.117 AU)
Feb 01 - Comet 73P-AG/Schwassmann-Wachmann Closest Approach To Earth (3.137 AU)
Feb 01 - Comet 73P-AR/Schwassmann-Wachmann Closest Approach To Earth (3.138 AU)
Feb 01 - Comet 73P-AQ/Schwassmann-Wachmann Closest Approach To Earth (3.144 AU)
Feb 01 - Comet C/2015 X7 (ATLAS) Closest Approach To Earth (3.336 AU)
Feb 01 - Comet 17P/Holmes At Opposition (3.384 AU)
Feb 01 - Apollo Asteroid 2016 BE Near-Earth Flyby (0.015 AU)
Feb 01 - Asteroid 3153 Lincoln Closest Approach To Earth (1.508 AU)
Feb 01 - Asteroid Richardcook Closest Approach To Earth (2.028 AU)
Feb 01 - Geoff Notkin's 55th Birthday (1961)
Feb th Anniversary (1956), Establishment of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA)
Feb 02 - Beidou-3 I3-S CZ-3B/YZ1 Launch
Feb 02 - Comet 73P-AT/Schwassmann-Wachmann At Opposition (2.252 AU)
Feb 02 - Comet 73P-AC/Schwassmann-Wachmann Closest Approach To Earth (3.093 AU)
Feb 02 - Ernst Zinner's 130th Birthday (1886)
JPL Space Calendar

10. The Case of the Disappearing Quasar
Food for Thought
The Case of the Disappearing Quasar

11. Pluto's Blue Atmosphere in the Infrared
Space Image of the Week
Pluto's Blue Atmosphere in the Infrared