343E-366-3 Explorers

343E-366-3 Explorers

Author: Albert D. Grauer July 1, 2025 Duration: 2:01
Recently, my Grandsons, Dane and Hank joined our asteroid hunting team at the Catalina Sky Survey 60 inch telescope on Mt. Lemmon. The most interesting of our discoveries, 2017 KJ32 is only 16 feet in diameter, orbits the Sun once every 315 days, and can come closer to us than the communications satellites. 4 days and 16 hours before Dane, Hank, and I spotted it, 2017 KJ32 passed about 41,000 miles from the surface of Earth traveling at a relatively slow speed for an Earth approaching asteroid of 1.6 mi/sec. By the time 2017 KJ32 came into one of our images it was already 768,000 miles from Earth and was traveling away from us at 1.5 miles per second. A few weeks later it was too faint to be detected by our most powerful telescopes.

Each episode of Travelers In The Night feels like a quiet, personal conversation under a dark sky. Hosted by astronomer Dr. Albert D. Grauer, this podcast brings the distant cosmos into sharp, intimate focus. Dr. Grauer isn't just an observer; he's an active participant in the hunt, working with the Catalina Sky Survey team that has consistently discovered near-Earth asteroids for years. In these brief and engaging segments, you'll hear firsthand accounts of what it's like to track these ancient celestial travelers-the asteroids and comets that silently pass by our world. The discussions move beyond simple facts to explore the real-world implications of these discoveries, from planetary defense to the sheer wonder of our dynamic solar system. Accompanied by the contemplative music of John Lyell's "Eternity," each installment offers a moment of calm reflection on humanity's place in the universe. It’s a perfect blend of grounded science and cosmic curiosity, making complex astronomical concepts accessible and deeply fascinating. For anyone who has ever looked up and wondered what's out there moving in the dark, this podcast provides a direct line to the front lines of discovery.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 1000

Travelers In The Night
Podcast Episodes
257E-269-Gamma Ray Eyes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
If you woke up tomorrow with gamma ray eyes things would look very different. Geology would come to life as you peered into the Earth and became aware of the various minerals it contains. Gamma rays coming from stars, su…
769-Green Comet [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Given the effects of climate change today who can predict what planet Earth will be like when C/2023 P1(Nishimura) comes back near our home planet in approximately 2455 AD.
256E-268-Mars Weather Report [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Before you pack your bags for a trip to Mars you will want to check out the weather data that NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover has recorded over the past two Martian years.There is no getting around the fact that you will nee…
768-Capricornus Observatory Csokako [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
In 2023 T. Maroti of the Capricornus Observatory, Csokako, Hungary discovered two Earth approaching asteroids which were passing through the night sky unnoticed by other observers. His equipment is an 11 inch telescope,…
767-A Really Tough Customer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
The more we learn about 322P/SOHO the stranger it becomes.
766-Korean Asteroid Hunters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
The Catalina Sky Survey and the Korean teams of asteroid hunters will discover and track Earth approaching objects making the residents of our home planet safer
255E-267-Hiding from ET [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Should humans hide from ET or should ET hide from us?
765-Bright-Fireball [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Bright fireball meteors sometimes rain pieces of themselves onto the ground for meteorite hunters to discover.
254E-266-Colliding Planets [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Collisions between planets, planetesimals, asteroids, and comets have produced the place where we live and breathe.Today scientists are replacing myths with solid evidence that violent impacts between planets, planetesim…
764-Green-Airglow [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
The natural night sky is alive with its own lights. In addition to celestial sources often there is natural night sky airglow powered by space weather from above and/or tropospheric activity from below. It is not the Aur…