A podcast about a comet discovered in Tucson reached more than 100,000 downloads in less than a week.
Al Grauer works with the Catalina Sky Survey based at the University of Arizona, watching for Earth-approaching objects. Last year, he began recording 2-minute vignettes to share the discoveries.
“People are interested in learning about science and the way to communicate with them is to appeal to their intelligence and to connect it to their everyday experiences," Grauer said.
In order to spread the word about " Travelers in the Night," as the series is called, Grauer asked the podcast aggregator Stitcher to put the "Star Wanderer" episode on its front page. Grauer said the recording took off Nov. 13, marking 100,000 downloads in the first five days.
"Star Wanderer" mixes science and fantasy about Comet Catalina discovered by Catalina Sky Survey in 2013. The two-tailed comet will soon be visible in the skies at dawn and dusk.