376E-412-Tiny Space Rock

376E-412-Tiny Space Rock

Author: Albert D. Grauer February 17, 2026 Duration: 2:01
Eighteen hours before my Catalina Sky Survey teammate Rose Matheny first spotted a small space rock with our Schmidt telescope on Mt. Bigelow, Arizona it had passed less than the Earth's diameter from the surface of our planet. Rose was able to discover this Smart Car sized space rock after it moved out of the Sun's glare. At this point it was about the Moon's distance from her and was traveling away at 3.4 mi/s. After Rose posted her discovery observations on the Minor Planet Center's Near Earth Object Confirmation page, for the next 24 hours it was tracked by telescopes in Spain, Illinois, and Arizona. Scientists at the Minor Planet Center used these data to calculate it's orbit around the Sun, estimate it's size and give it the name 2017 UJ2. This small asteroid had come near the Earth in 1978 but was invisible to the technology which astronomers had available at the time. 2017 UJ2 will not come close enough for us to detect in the foreseeable future, however, there are likely to be tens of millions of others like it which can come close to Earth. A small asteroid the size of Rose's discovery is likely to enter our atmosphere at least once a year and explodes at about 4 times higher than airliners fly. If such an event happened at night and you were lucky enough to see it you would be treated to a fantastic light show. If you are as lucky as a power ball winner you might even be able to find a piece of it on the ground.

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
322E-341-Ballooning to Space [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
To travel to the edge of space you can strap yourself into a capsule and ride atop of a carefully controlled explosion or you can enter a crew capsule and be gently lifted by a balloon into the stratosphere. Unlike a sub…
834-Dark Comets [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
From our vantage point on planet Earth asteroids appear as moving points of light which strictly follow the law of gravity as they orbit the Sun. On the other hand comets appear as gas clouds which sometimes deviate from…
321E-340-Carson's Comet [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
My team was excited when our Catalina Sky Survey teammate Carson Fuls discovered his first comet, C/2017 D1 (Fuls), when it was traveling between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter about 257 million miles from Earth. It is c…
833-Will Asteroid Mining Payoff? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
In the journal Planetary and Space Science Dr. Kevin Cannon and his two coauthors analyze the potential of asteroid mining as a source of metals for manufacturing here on Earth as well as a repository of raw materials fo…
320E-339-No Need To Smile [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
The company Planet's, Dove satellites may not be spot you looking up, smiling, and waving when you are in the great outdoors but they could detect a car in your driveway.
832-Backyard Comet [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
My Catalina Sky Survey teammate David Rankin has discovered 13 comets using our team’s professional telescopes. Recently he discovered a 14th comet as an amateur using a small, 11 inch telescope in his backyard Saguaro O…
319E-338-Psyche Bound [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
When the material came together to form our home planet, gravity was strong enough to pull the heavy materials like iron to the center, giving our planet an iron core. The vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of kn…
831-Finding Dangerous Comets [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Meteor shower data can provide an additional warning time for a potentially dangerous comet of from 1 to 12 years giving humans extra time to determine and carry out mitigation strategies.
318E-337-Lucy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Jupiter's Trojan asteroids lead and follow the giant planet around the Sun occupying stable locations where Jupiter and the Sun's gravity balance each other. Humans have discovered only a tiny fraction of the million of…
830-Imaging Alien Worlds [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:01
Through out history humans have dreamed about living creatures on planets orbiting distant stars. As technology has improved and our robotic missions have begun exploring our solar system in some detail the aspiration to…