Space News Update - August 22, In the News Story 1: Story 1: No, NASA is Not Predicting We’ll be Destroyed by Aliens Story 2: Story 2: Probes to Take Long Way to the Moon Story 3: Story 3: Best Time to Spot Neptune This Year Is Monday Night Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities Space Calendar NASA-TV Highlights Food for Thought Space Image of the Week

No, NASA is Not Predicting We’ll be Destroyed by Aliens

Probes to Take Long Way to the Moon

Best Time to Spot Neptune This Year Is Monday Night

The Night Sky Monday, August 22 · Neptune, in Capricornus, is at opposition tonight. Tuesday, August 23 · Here it is still only August, with summer only 2/3 of the way through — but already the Great Square of Pegasus is up in the east after dark, balancing low · Wednesday, August 24 · As dawn begins to brighten on Thursday morning the 25th, look for Mars to the left of the thin crescent Moon (for North America), as shown here. Thursday, August 25 · Did you know that two tiny planetary nebulae lurk right near the big, familiar Wild Duck star cluster, M11 in Scutum? One of them can be spotted in many amateur telescopes, especially with an O III filter. The other is a stiffer challenge. See Sue French's Deep-Sky Wonders column, chart, and photo in the August Sky & Telescope, page 58. Friday, August 26 · Jupiter's Great Red Spot (currently pale orange) should be crossing the planet's central meridian around 3:09 a.m. Saturday morning EDT. For all Red Spot transits in August, as well as all Jupiter satellite events, see "Action at Jupiter" in the August Sky & Telescope, page 54.

ISS Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting InformationSatellite Sighting Information For Denver: SATELLITELOCALDURATION MAX ELEV APPROACHDEPARTURE DATE/TIME(MIN)(DEG)(DEG-DIR) ISSSun Aug 21/10:32 PM< above N ISSTue Aug 23/10:12 PM< above NNW13 above N ISSWed Aug 24/09:14 PM21110 above N10 above NNE ISSThu Aug 25/09:52 PM11813 above NNW18 above N ISSFri Aug 26/08:53 PM31310 above NNW10 above NE

NASA-TV Highlights August 23, Tuesday 8:55 a.m. - ISS Expedition 28 PAO Event for JAXA with Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa - JSC (Public, HD and Media Channels) August 25, Thursday 10 a.m. - ISS Update -- includes ISS Expedition 28 in-flight interviews with KGO-TV, San Francisco and space.com at 10:20 a.m. EDT. – JSC (Public, HD and Media Channels) 11 a.m. -GRAIL Mission Prelaunch News Briefing – HQ (All Channels) August 26, Friday 10 a.m. - ISS Progress 44 Docking to the ISS (docking scheduled at 10:38 a.m.) – JSC (Public, HD and Media Channels) Watch NASA TV on the Net by going to NASA website.NASA website.

Space Calendar · Aug 22 - Cassini, Orbital Trim Maneuver #288 (OTM-288)Cassini · Aug 22 - Neptune At OppositionNeptuneAt Opposition · Aug 22 - Comet 251P/LINEAR Closest Approach To Earth (1.771 AU)Comet 251P/LINEARClosest Approach To Earth · Aug 22 - Comet 95P/Chiron Closest Approach To Earth (15.859)Comet 95P/ChironClosest Approach To Earth · Aug 22 - Asteroid Jodiefoster Closest Approach To Earth (0.657 AU)Asteroid Jodiefoster · Aug 22 - Asteroid 3355 Onizuka Closest Approach To Earth (1.225 AU)Asteroid 3355 Onizuka · Aug 22 - Asteroid 671 Carnegia Closest Approach To Earth (2.202 AU)Asteroid 671 Carnegia · Aug 23 - Cassini, Distant Flyby of Epimetheus & AtlasCassini · Aug 23 - Comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd) Closest Approach To Earth (1.391 AU)Comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd)Closest Approach To Earth · Aug 23 - Comet 228P/LINEAR Perihelion (3.430 AU)Comet 228P/LINEARPerihelion · Aug 23 - Comet 158P/Kowal-LINEAR Closest Approach To Earth (3.598 AU)Comet 158P/Kowal-LINEARClosest Approach To Earth · Aug 24 - Progress M-012M Soyuz U Launch (International Space Station 44P)Progress · Aug 24 - Cassini, Distant Flyby of TitanCassini · Aug 24 - Comet 9P/Tempel Closest Approach To Earth (1.584 AU)Comet 9P/TempelClosest Approach To Earth · Aug 24 - Asteroid 433 Eros Occults TYC (11.2 Magnitude Star)Asteroid 433 Eros Occults TYC · Aug 24 - Asteroid 2000 CP101 Near-Earth Flyby (0.069 AU)Asteroid 2000 CP101Near-Earth Flyby · Aug 24 - Asteroid 2011 OY17 Near-Earth Flyby (0.078 AU)Asteroid 2011 OY17Near-Earth Flyby · Aug 24 - Asteroid 1578 Kirkwood Closest Approach To Earth (3.059 AU)Asteroid 1578 Kirkwood · Aug th Anniversary (2006), Pluto Demoted As A PlanetPluto Demoted As A Planet · Aug th Anniversary (1966), Luna 11 Launch (USSR Moon Orbiter)Luna 11 · Aug 25 - Cosmos-Glonass M33 Soyuz 2-1B-Fregat LaunchCosmos-Glonass · Aug 25 - Cassini, Distant Flyby of HyperionCassini · Aug 25 - Northern Iota Aquarids Meteor Shower PeakNorthern Iota Aquarids Meteor Shower · Aug 25 - Comet 130P/McNaught-Hughes Closest Approach To Earth (1.160 AU)Comet 130P/McNaught-HughesClosest Approach To Earth · Aug 25 - Asteroid 2005 QQ87 Near-Earth Flyby (0.084 AU)Asteroid 2005 QQ87Near-Earth Flyby · Aug 25 - Asteroid Okinawa Closest Approach To Earth (1.310 AU)Asteroid Okinawa · Aug 25 - Kuiper Belt Object (2007 OR10) At Opposition ( AU)Kuiper Belt Object (2007 OR10)At Opposition · Aug 26 - Asteroid (1989 CG1) Occults HIP (5.4 Magnitude Star)Asteroid (1989 CG1) Occults HIP · Aug 26 - Asteroid 2007 UT3 Near-Earth Flyby (0.090 AU)Asteroid 2007 UT3Near-Earth Flyby · Aug 26 - Asteroid 793 Arizona Closest Approach To Earth (1.506 AU)Asteroid 793 Arizona · Aug 26 - Asteroid LPL Closest Approach To Earth (2.682 AU)Asteroid LPL JPL Space Calendar

Food for Thought Meet the Solar System's Dwarf Planets

Space Image of the Week