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
243E-255-Earth Venus Express [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
We will probably never know the details of the collision that put my Catalina Sky Survey teammate Carson Fuls' recent discovery, 2016 HD3, on its current path. What we do know is that Carson's new space rock is about 25…
753-Impactor Lights Up the Night Sky [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Very small fast moving asteroids pass through our solar system.About once a month an object like 2023 KU4 enters our atmosphere, releases the energy of approximately 2.4 tons of TNT, explodes at an altitude of about 280,…
242E-254-Blinded [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Blinded by inappropriate outdoor night lighting, much of humanity is now unaware of the rich beauty of the Universe which surrounds them. To see sights which have inspired countless generations of lovers, poets, scientis…
752-Lunker [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
My Catalina Sky Survey teammate Jacqueline Fazekas was asteroid hunting , in the evening twilight, with our 60 inch telescope on Mt. Lemmon, Arizona when she discovered a very large object in an unusual orbit. Rest assur…
241E-253-Lunar Village [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Covered by a blanket of lunar soil to protect it from BB sized meteoroids arriving a gunshot speeds, a village is nestled in a large crater on our moon. The individual structures are connected together by tunnels. The si…
751-Ball Pit [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
To the amazement of NASA scientists, when the NASA OSIRIS-Rex touched down on the surface of Bennu to obtain a sample, the sample collecting arm continued to sink into Bennu until rocket thrusters reversed its downward m…
240E-252-The King [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Jupiter protects us as well as directs some objects our way.Jupiter, the king of our solar system, has provided us with a place to stand and air to breathe.
750-Asteroid Slam(538) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Humans are slamming projectiles into space rocks. These experiments will give us the know how to deal with a dangerous space rock which has our number on it
239E-251-Fresh Lunar Craters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
The moon is being hit by objects in the present epoch.Fresh lunar craters tell us about objects which enter the Earth-Moon system.
238E-250-Born Wild [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Jupiter and Saturn helped to produce where we live.Our home planet was formed after a period of chaos in the solar systemToday our solar system is a pretty calm place. However, meteorites we find on Earth as well as the…