Travelers in the Night Eps. 321 & 322: Dangerous Comet & Dust Stories

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


From September 2024.


Today's 2 topics:


- Protection against a comet strike is worth considering. Every
year, if we are lucky, several comets can come close enough for
the Sun to warm and us to see the beautiful changing dust and gas
clouds around them with binoculars or our unaided eyes. So far
asteroids have gotten most of the attention as dangerous
celestial neighbors, however, Dr. Joseph Nuth, a researcher at
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland
recently pointed out "Comets can also deliver a heaping helping
of calamity to Earth, and scientists and policymakers alike
should start taking measures to combat the threat".


 


- Collect your own beautiful micro-meteorite sample. 


It is estimated that several hundred thousand pounds of left over
particles from the formation of our solar system enters the
Earth's atmosphere every day with perhaps 10% of the of the total
reaching the surface of our home planet. The individual grains of
cosmic dust or micro-meteorites as they are also called range in
size from the diameter of a human hair to twice the thickness of
a dime.


 


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