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:

- Richard Kowalski discovered 2016 dp! Millions of years ago two large asteroids collided in the asteroid belt. Pieces were sent flying in all directions. A few of them were put into orbits which rise high above and below the plane of the solar system as they continued to travel around the Sun. A fragment is discovered from a collision long ago as it comes near the Earth. Fortunately this space rock will not strike the Earth anytime soon. It will continue to orbit the Sun in the silent vacuum of space until it has a collision with another asteroid or comet in the far distant future.

- Pound for pound Saturn's moon Enceladus is the brightest object in our solar system. It is so shiny that it reflects most of the sunlight that strikes it. Since Enceladus absorbs little sunlight its surface is 330 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Below its icy exterior the story is very different. It appears that Enceladus has an ocean of liquid water. What Next?

 

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