Space Weather News for Jan. 5, 2012   
   http://spaceweather.com   
       
   MARS PROBE PHOTOGRAPHED: Phobos-Grunt, a Russian Mars probe stuck in Earth   
   orbit since November, is sinking back into the atmosphere.  Best estimates   
   suggest re-entry will occur on Jan. 15th or 16th. Meanwhile, citizen   
   scientists can see the probe moving through the night sky sometimes shining as   
   brightly as a first-magnitude star.   French astrophotographer Thierry Legault   
   recently photographed Phobos-Grunt through a 14-inch telescope, revealing its   
   outlines and perhaps a clue as to why the probe has had difficulty   
   communicating with Earth.  His images and video are highlighted on today's   
   edition of http://spaceweather.com .   
       
   Local flyby times for Phobos-Grunt may be found using SpaceWeather's online   
   satellite tracker (http://spaceweather.com/flybys) or on your smartphone:   
   http://simpleflybys.com   
       
       
   Regards,   
       
   Roger   
      
   --- D'Bridge 3.71   
    * Origin: NCS BBS (1:3828/7)