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
394-Tiny Beasts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
A partnership with yeast and algae will enable spacefaring humans to use their waste products to produce food and plastics during long duration space flights.
393-Newest Moon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
The moon cycle from new moon through full moon and back to new moon again was used by many nations to regulate their activities and forms the basis of the Islamic lunar calendar. You might try making the interesting obse…
392-Dragon Delivers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
The SpaceX 11 Dragon mission is the first time an American spacecraft has visited the space station since the NASA Space Shuttle Program ended in April of 2011.
391-Finding Spacerocks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Finding a meteorite that has traveled billions of miles through space to reach it's present location is exciting. It might even be worth real money.
390-One in 100,000 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Additional observations over the years have eliminated the possibility that Apophis will strike the Earth as it streaks by closer than the communications satellites on that lucky Friday the 13th of 2029.
389-Tiny Spacecraft [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
About the size of a saltine cracker and having a mass of less than 2 dimes, the single-board Sprite spacecraft has all the essentials; solar panels, computing electronics, thermometers, gyroscopes, radio communication eq…
388-40 years [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Your representatives, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are heading into deep interstellar space.
387-Florence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Florence, the largest asteroid in more than 100 years comes near to the Earth.
386-Interplanetary Sand Traps [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Topographic features on rubble pile asteroids are produced in a novel way.
385-Phoning Home [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Cell phone technology will be used to explore our Moon. Lunar tourists will be able to use their smart phones after 2018.