1. Space News Update - December 6, 2013 - In the News Departments
Story 1: Astronomers discover planet that shouldn't be there
Story 2: Heat Shield for NASA's Orion Spacecraft Arrives at Kennedy Space Center
Story 3: Signs of Water Found on 5 Alien Planets by Hubble Telescope
Departments
The Night Sky
ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar
NASA-TV Highlights
Food for Thought
Space Image of the Week

2. Astronomers discover planet that shouldn't be there
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. Heat Shield for NASA's Orion Spacecraft Arrives at Kennedy Space Center

4. Signs of Water Found on 5 Alien Planets by Hubble Telescope

5. The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Friday, December 6
 The waxing crescent Moon hangs high over Venus at dusk, with Alpha and Beta Capricorni now to its lower right.
Saturday, December 7
 Earliest sunset of the year (near 40° north latitude). The longest night won't come until December 21st at the solstice, and the latest sunrise doesn't happen until January 4th.
The reason? Local Apparent Solar Time is shifting with respect to Local Mean Time during this part of the year, an effect caused by the tilt of Earth's axis and the ellipticity of Earth's orbit. Be glad that we use standardized time, so you don't have to keep adjusting your clocks to the inconstant motions of the Sun like in olden days. Standard time made things a lot simpler for society but complicated things for careful skywatchers. 
Sunday, December 8
 This evening, look to the right of the Moon by less than a
fist-width at arm's length for the dim Water Jar asterism of
Aquarius. Far lower left of the Moon shines Fomalhaut.
Monday, December 9
 First-quarter Moon (exact at 10:12 a.m. EST). This evening the Moon shines just under the dim Circlet of Pisces below the Great Square of Pegasus.
 Jupiter is passing just 15 arcminutes from Delta Geminorum, magnitude 3.5, this evening and tomorrow evening. That's about half a pencil-width at arm's length. (But it's not as close as Jupiter passed by the star on October 4th, while going the other way.)
Sky & Telescope

6. ISS Sighting Opportunities
ISS For Denver:
Date
Visible
Max Height
Appears
Disappears
Sat Dec 7, 6:01 PM
1 min
13°
10 above SSE
13 above SE
Sun Dec 8, 6:46 PM
23°
10 above SW
23 above SW
Mon Dec 9, 5:57 PM
4 min
38°
10 above SSW
33 above ESE
Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

7. NASA-TV Highlights Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website
(all times Eastern Daylight Time)
No special programming through Dec. 12, Watch NASA-TV’s regular daily programming here.
Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

8. Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar
Dec 06 - [Dec 02] Chang'e 3 Lunar Orbit Insertion (China)
Dec 06 - Asteroid Chelyabinsk Closest Approach To Earth (0.958 AU)
Dec 06 - Asteroid 1831 Nicholson Closest Approach To Earth (1.541 AU)
Dec 06 - Asteroid 2531 Cambridge Closest Approach To Earth (1.956 AU)
Dec 07 - Comet 84P/Giclas Closest Approach To Earth (1.246 AU)
Dec 07 - Asteroid Dobson Closest Approach To Earth (2.406 AU)
Dec 08 - Inmarsat 5 F1 Proton M-Briz M Launch
Dec 08 - Comet P/2006 S1 (Christensen) Closest Approach To Earth (2.013 AU)
Dec 08 - Asteroid 6312 Robheinlein Closest Approach To Earth (1.052 AU)
Dec 08 - Asteroid 3106 Morabito Closest Approach To Earth (1.489 AU)
Dec 08 - Asteroid Rowanatkinson Closest Approach To Earth (1.815 AU)
Dec 08 - Asteroid 3140 Stellafane Closest Approach To Earth (1.894 AU)
Dec 08 - Asteroid Potato Closest Approach To Earth (2.340 AU)
Dec 08 - Kuiper Belt Object 2004 XR190 At Opposition ( AU)
Dec th Anniversary (1908), Mount Wilson 60-inch Telescope First Light
Dec 09 - Comet P/2000 R2 (LINEAR) Closest Approach To Earth (2.173 AU)
Dec 09 - Comet 40P/Vaisala At Opposition (2.554 AU)
Dec 09 - Asteroid 3155 Lee Closest Approach To Earth (1.147 AU)
Dec 09 - Asteroid 1620 Geographos Closest Approach To Earth (1.798 AU)
Dec 09 - Asteroid 6677 Renoir Closest Approach To Earth (2.310 AU)
Dec 09 - Kuiper Belt Object Chaos At Opposition ( AU)
Dec th Anniversary (1978), Pioneer Venus 2, Venus Arrival (Atmospheric Probes)
Dec th Anniversary (1858), Ausson Meteorite Fall (Hit Building in France)
JPL Space Calendar

9. Could Particle ‘Spooky Action’ Define The Nature Of Gravity?
Food for Thought
Could Particle ‘Spooky Action’ Define The Nature Of Gravity?

10. Space Image of the Week
Subaru Telescope Captures the Fine Details of Comet Lovejoy’s Tail Image Credit: NAOJ with data processing by Masafumi Yagi (NAOJ)