Travelers in the Night Eps. 883 & 884: Theia & Turkeys and Asteroids

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 January 2026. Today's 2 topics: - In the distant past things in our solar system were very much more wild and violent than they are today. 4.5 billion years ago a Mars sized object called Theia impacted Earth producing our Moon. Scientists are able research this event using the current chemical compositions of the Earth and Moon.   - Since in its early history the Earth's surface was hot and lifeless it is likely that asteroids formed in the same era as Bennu delivered the raw materials for life when they impacted our home planet long ago.   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].