Space News Update - November 14, In the News Story 1: Story 1: Exploring Comets and Asteroids: Time Capsules of the Solar system Story 2: Story 2: Rosetta Mission: Philae Lander Tries Drilling and Hammering to Free Itself Story 3: Story 3: NASA X-ray Telescopes Find Black Hole May Be a Neutrino Factory Departments The Night Sky ISS Sighting Opportunities NASA-TV Highlights Space Calendar Food for Thought Space Image of the Week Exploring Comets and Asteroids: Time Capsules of the Solar system Rosetta Mission: Philae Lander Tries Drilling and Hammering to Free Itself NASA X-ray Telescopes Find Black Hole May Be a Neutrino Factory Sunday, November 16 By 8 p.m. now, Great Square of Pegasus stands in its level position very high toward the south. Its right side points far down toward Fomalhaut. Its left side points less far down more or less toward Beta Ceti. If you have an open view to a dark south horizon, and if you're no farther north than roughly New York or Denver, picture an equilateral triangle with Fomalhaut and Beta Ceti forming its top two corners. Near where the third corner would be is Alpha Phoenicis, or Ankaa, in the southern constellation Phoenix. It's magnitude 2.4, not very bright but the brightest thing in the area. Have you ever seen a star of Phoenix before? Monday, November 17 The Leonid meteor shower should peak late tonight, but don't expect much. Even under ideal dark-sky conditions, you might see roughly a dozen per hour during the best viewing period: from about midnight or 1 a.m. tonight until the beginning of dawn. Also, keep an eye out for the very occasional Taurid fireball. For more: See November's Speedy Leonids.November's Speedy Leonids The Night Sky Friday, November 14 Keep an eye on little Mars in the southwest at dusk. It will keep hanging in there month after month through this winter, as constellations of the zodiac slide behind it. Last-quarter Moon (exact at 10:16 a.m. EST). The Moon rises around midnight tonight with Jupiter to its left (for North America.) By dawn Saturday morning the 15th, the Moon is below Regulus with Jupiter now high to their upper right, as shown to the right. Saturday, November 15 By about 8 p.m. Orion is clearing the eastern horizon (depending on how far east or west you live in your time zone). High above Orion shines orange Aldebaran. Above Aldebaran is the little Pleiades cluster, the size of your fingertip at arm's length. Far left of the Pleiades shines bright Capella. Sky & Telescope ISS Sighting Opportunities Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASAs Satellite Sighting InformationSatellite Sighting Information ISS For Denver: DateVisibleMax HeightAppearsDisappears Sat Nov 15, 5:00 AM1 min1818 above N11 above NNE Sun Nov 16, 5:46 AM2 min1211 above NNW10 above N Mon Nov 17, 4:58 AM< 1 min1212 above N11 above NNE Tue Nov 18, 5:45 AM1 min1010 above NNW10 above N NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Daylight Time) Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA websiteNASA website Friday, November a.m., Replay of the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum Presentation Countdown to Launch with Jim Norman, Tim Dunn and Albert Sierra - (all channels) 8 p.m., Replay of the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum Presentation Countdown to Launch with Jim Norman, Tim Dunn and Albert Sierra (all channels) 9 p.m., Replay of Video File of the ISS Expedition 42/43 Crew Departure from Star City, Russia for Baikonur, Kazakhstan (Recorded Nov. 11) (all channels) 10 p.m., Replay of the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum Presentation Countdown to Launch with Jim Norman, Tim Dunn and Albert Sierra (all channels) Space Calendar JPL Space Calendar Nov 14 - Comet P/2009 K1 (Gibbs) At Opposition (3.815 AU)Comet P/2009 K1 (Gibbs)At Opposition Nov 14 - Asteroid 2009 LD Near-Earth Flyby (0.055 AU)Asteroid 2009 LDNear-Earth Flyby Nov 14 - Asteroid 2014 UL192 Near-Earth Flyby (0.083 AU)Asteroid 2014 UL192 Nov 14 - Asteroid 7536 Fahrenheit Closest Approach To Earth (2.049 AU)Asteroid 7536 Fahrenheit Nov 14 - Asteroid 2421 Nininger Closest Approach To Earth (2.170 AU)Asteroid 2421 Nininger Nov 14 - Royal Astronomical Society Ordinary Meeting, London, United KingdomRoyal Astronomical Society Ordinary Meeting Nov 14 - Meeting: Energetic Particles in the Heliosphere and Their Influence on Space Weather and Space Climate, London, United KingdomMeeting: Energetic Particles in the Heliosphere and Their Influence on Space Weather and Space Climate Nov 14 - Meeting: The Future of Time-Domain Astronomy with the Liverpool Telescope and Liverpool Telescope 2, London, United KingdomMeeting: The Future of Time-Domain Astronomy with the Liverpool Telescope and Liverpool Telescope 2 Nov 14 - Lecture: Preservation of Isotopic Heterogeneity in a Convecting Martian Mantle, Houston, TexasLecture: Preservation of Isotopic Heterogeneity in a Convecting Martian Mantle Nov 14 - Lecture: Determining Mass and Composition of Small Exoplanets, Los Altos Hills, CaliforniaLecture: Determining Mass and Composition of Small Exoplanets Nov h Anniversary (1969), Apollo 12 Launch (Manned Moon Mission)Apollo 12 Nov 15 - Comet 40P/Vaisala Perihelion (1.819 AU)Comet 40P/VaisalaPerihelion Nov 15 - Comet C/2013 G3 (PANSTARRS) Perihelion (3.852 AU)Comet C/2013 G3 (PANSTARRS)Perihelion Nov 15 - Comet 269P/Jedicke Perihelion (4.079 AU)Comet 269P/JedickePerihelion Nov 15 - Asteroid (5041 T-3) Occults HIP 1191 (5.7 Magnitude Star)Asteroid (5041 T-3) Occults HIP 1191 Nov 15 - Asteroid 2014 UL115 Near-Earth Flyby (0.072 AU)Asteroid 2014 UL115 Nov 15 - Plutino (2002 VR128) At Opposition ( AU)Plutino (2002 VR128)At Opposition Nov 15 - [Nov 13] 8th Annual Night Under The Stars Star Party, Alamo Lake State Park, Arizona8th Annual Night Under The Stars Star Party Nov th Anniversary (2004), SMART-1, Moon Orbit InsertionSMART-1 Nov th Anniversary (1974), Intasat Launch (Spain's 1st Satellite)Intasat Nov 15 - Dirk Klinkenberg's 205th Birthday (1709)Dirk Klinkenberg's Nov 16 - Asteroid 2014 UW57 Near-Earth Flyby (0.031 AU)Asteroid 2014 UW57Near-Earth Flyby Nov 16 - [Nov 07] Asteroid 2014 VP Near-Earth Flyby (0.083 AU)Asteroid 2014 VPNear-Earth Flyby Nov 16 - Asteroid Guatemala Closest Approach To Earth (1.468 AU)Asteroid Guatemala Nov 16 - Asteroid 3125 Hay Closest Approach To Earth (1.498 AU)Asteroid 3125 Hay Nov 16 - Asteroid 4355 Memphis Closest Approach To Earth (1.734 AU)Asteroid 4355 Memphis Nov th Anniversary (2009), STS-129 Launch (Space Shuttle Atlantis, ISS Assembly Flight)STS-129 Launch Nov Symposium: Unified Field Mechanics - Natural Science Beyond the Veil of Spacetime, Baltimore, MarylandSymposium: Unified Field Mechanics - Natural Science Beyond the Veil of Spacetime Nov 17 - Leonids Meteor Shower PeakLeonids Meteor Shower Nov 17 - Asteroid 6 Hebe At Opposition (8.1 Magnitude)Asteroid 6 HebeAt Opposition Nov 17 - Asteroid 5816 Potsdam Closest Approach To Earth (1.825 AU)Asteroid 5816 Potsdam Nov 17 - Asteroid 8209 Toscanelli Closest Approach To Earth (2.000 AU)Asteroid 8209 Toscanelli Nov 17 - Asteroid 93 Minerva Closest Approach To Earth (2.046 AU)Asteroid 93 Minerva Nov 17 - Asteroid 3688 Navajo Closest Approach To Earth (2.181 AU)Asteroid 3688 Navajo Nov 17 - Kuiper Belt Object Sedna At Opposition ( AU)Kuiper Belt Object SednaAt Opposition Space Calendar Food for Thought Dark matter: Out with the WIMPs, in with the SIMPs? Space Image of the Week Welcome to a Comet