1. Space News Update - February 5, 2019 - In the News Departments
Story 1:
InSight's Seismometer Now Has a Cozy Shelter on Mars
Story 2:
OSIRIS-Rex Finds Rugged Terrain on Asteroid Bennu
Story 3:
Astronomers Find Dark Energy May Vary Over Time
Departments
The Night Sky
ISS Sighting Opportunities
NASA-TV Highlights
Space Calendar
Food for Thought
Space Image of the Week

2. InSight's Seismometer Now Has a Cozy Shelter on Mars
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. OSIRIS-Rex Finds Rugged Terrain on Asteroid Bennu

4. Astronomers Find Dark Energy May Vary Over Time

5. The Night Sky Sky & Telescope Tuesday, February 5
• Sirius the Dog Star blazes high in the south-southeast after dinnertime, the brightest star of Canis Major. In a dark sky with lots of stars visible, the constellation's points can be connected to form a convincing dog profile. He's currently standing on his hind legs; Sirius is on his chest.
But through the light pollution where most of us live, only his five brightest stars are easily visible. These form a short-handled meat cleaver. Sirius is the cleaver's top back corner, its blade faces right, and its handle is down below, pointing lower left.
Wednesday, February 6
• By 9 p.m. or so, the Big Dipper stands on its handle well up in the northeast. In the northwest, W-shaped Cassiopeia also stands on end (the W's brighter end) at about the same height.
• And while you're checking that out: Algol is at minimum brightness for a couple hours centered on 8:45 p.m. EST.
Thursday, February 7
• After dinnertime look due east, not very high, for twinkly Regulus. Extending upper left from it is the Sickle of Leo, a backward question mark. "Leo announces spring," goes an old saying. Actually, Leo showing up in the evening announces the cold, messy back half of winter. Come spring, Leo will already be high.
Sky & Telescope
Friday, February 8
• The waxing crescent Moon shines in the west-southwest at nightfall. Above it by about two fists at arm's length is Mars, diminished far into the distance since its grand display last summer.
Saturday, February 9
• Now the Moon is about one fist below Mars right after dark. Look to the Moon's right for the dimmer Great Square of Pegasus, balancing on one corner.

6. ISS Sighting Opportunities
ISS For Denver:
Date
Visible
Max Height
Appears
Disappears
Tue Feb 5, 6:31 PM
3 min
23°
11° above NNW
22° above NE
Wed Feb 6, 7:15 PM
2 min
45°
10° above NW
45° above NW
Thu Feb 7, 6:24 PM
5 min
20° above E
Thu Feb 7, 8:02 PM
< 1 min
13°
13° above W
Fri Feb 8, 7:11 PM
34°
26° above W
28° above S
Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

7. NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Time Zone) February 5, Tuesday
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)
February 5, Tuesday  
1:35 p.m. - NASA astronaut Anne McClain hosts Space Station Educational Event with the William Brooks Elementary and Buckeye Elementary Schools in El Dorado Hills, California Center (All Channels)
February 7, Thursday   
11:35 a.m. - International Space Station In-Flight Event for the Canadian Space Agency with CSA Flight Engineer David Saint-Jacques  (Public Channel with interpretation, Media Channel native language)
February 8, Friday        
10:45 a.m. - Departure of the Northrup Grumman Cygnus CRS-10 Cargo Craft from the ISS; release scheduled at 11:10 a.m. (All Channels)
12 p.m. – SpaceCast Weekly (All Channels)
Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website

8. Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Feb 05 - Chinese New Year
Feb 05 - Hellas Sat 4/Saudi Arabia SaudiGeoSat-1/ GSAT-31 Ariane 5 Launch
Feb 05 -Comet C/2019 B1 (Africano) At Opposition (0.952 AU)
Feb 05 - Comet 107P/Wilson-Harrington At Opposition (1.803 AU)
Feb 05 - Apollo Asteroid Peleus Closest Approach To Earth (1.704 AU)
Feb 05 - Apollo Asteroid 1863 Antinous Closest Approach To Earth (1.707 AU)
Feb 06 - Moon Occults Asteroid 4 Vesta
Feb 06 - Comet 209P/LINEAR Closet Approach To Earth (1.122 AU)
Feb 06 -Apollo Asteroid 2019 BK4 Near-Earth Flyby (0.011 AU)
Feb 06 - Apollo Asteroid 2013 RV9 Near-Earth Flyby (0.046 AU)
Feb 06 - Asteroid Carllewis Closest Approach To Earth (1.830 AU)
Feb 06 - Colloquium: Tailored Simulations, Sydney, Australia
Feb 07 - Comet C/2018 Y1 (Iwamoto) Perihelion (1.287 AU)
Feb 07 - Aten Asteroid 2019 BB5 Near-Earth Flyby (0.028 AU)
Feb 07 - Asteroid 3673 Levy Closest Approach To Earth (1.250 AU)
Feb 07 - Asteroid 3917 Franz Schubert Closest Approach To Earth (1.347 AU)
Feb 07 - Lecture: Ridiculous World of Scientific Ballooning, Pasadena, California
Feb 07 - Colloquim: Galaxy Evolution Using Lots of Resolved Galaxies, Ithaca, New York
Feb 07 - Seminar: Climate Resilient Pathways and Social Science Research to Actions, Washington DC
Feb 07 -Lecture: Galaxy Evolution using Lots of Resolved Galaxies, Ithaca, New York
Feb Women in Space Conference, Scottsdale, Arizona
Feb 08 - Comet 375P/Hill Closest Approach To Earth (1.011 AU)
Feb 08 - Apollo Asteroid 2019 BA5 Near-Earth Flyby (0.036 AU)
Feb 08 - Asteroid Guatemala Closest Approach To Earth (1.110 AU)
JPL Space Calendar

9. Planetary Collision that Formed the Moon Made Life Possible on Earth
Food for Thought
Planetary Collision that Formed the Moon Made Life Possible on Earth

10. Space Image of the Week
Mars InSight Lander Seen in First Images from Space
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona