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
484-Aliens [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Most Astronomers find it hard to believe that given perhaps a trillion planets in the Milky Way alone that our Earth is the only one which hosts living organisms. It is both exciting and terrifying to realize we have no…
483-Double Trouble [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Asteroid hunters have discovered a strange asteroid pair. How they came to be together and what humans would do if such a large double trouble object is heading for us remains a mystery.
482-Botswana Fragment [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
An object is tracked in outer space, seen to explode in our atmosphere, and had a fragment of it discovered on the ground. Its analysis will help humans to prepare for and defend against a much larger object with our num…
481-Fireball [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
On July 8, 2018 a beautiful fireball Meteor was seen streaking across the sky in evening twilight. So far the American Meteor Society has received more than 700 reports of this event , from observers in Iowa, Illinois, M…
480-Large Visitor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Statistically, asteroid hunters are thought to have discovered 90% of our potentially dangerous celestial neighbors greater than 1 KM in diameter. Thus my Catalina Sky Survey teammate Greg Leonard was surprised to discov…
479-Comet Catalina [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Comet C/2018 M1 (Catalina) is eternal in the sense that it will likely wander the vast space between the stars in our Milky Way Galaxy until the end of time.
478-Comet Leonard III [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
My Catalina Sky Survey teammate Greg Leonard knew he had bagged his third comet when he spotted an unknown fuzzy object with a broad tail moving through the constellation of Pieces. Eventually when it looses it's volatil…
477-Hannes' Discoveries [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Recently, my newest Catalina Sky Survey Teammate, Hannes Groeller, had an excellent training night, working with Greg Leonard, on our 60 inch telescope on Mt. Lemmon, Arizona posting 14 new objects on the Near Earth Obje…
476-Lost Comet [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
On July 1, 1770 Comet Lexell passed about 6 times the moon's distance from planet Earth, the closest a comet has ever come to humanity. After that it completely disappeared . After more than 200 years of searching, resea…
475-Lonely Fragment [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
A 2000 foot diameter space rock has stories to tell about violent events long ago. Asteroid hunters are eager to track this huge collision fragment and look for members of it's family as it passes near Earth in 2026.