Dr. Al Grauer hosts. Dr. Albert D. Grauer ( @Nmcanopus ) is an observational asteroid hunting astronomer. Dr. Grauer retired from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2006. travelersinthenight.org

Today's 2 topics:

- Asteroids are part of our environment. An SUV sized space rock has spent eons traveling through the silent vacuum of space. In the past 50 years, without humans being aware of its existence, it has made 29 close approaches to planet Earth and 11 visits to the vicinity our sister planet Venus. In the relatively near future asteroid hunters will be able to find more space rocks like this one before they impact Earth and thus be able to issue a warning for a space rock which is about to explode over a populated area. 

- There is increasing evidence that Jupiter's moon Europa, Saturn's moon Enceladus, and other bodies in our solar system have oceans of salty liquid water in contact with warm rock layers. We know that on Earth life abounds under these conditions around volcanic vents. Could such biodiversity be happening elsewhere?

 

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