Galen Halverson of McGill University took this wonderful photo. He has a new study out on the origin of Antarctica’s glaciers, in which he links 2 competing theories on how Antarctica’s ice sheets formed so rapidly, about 34 million years ago.
The ship that made this track in the sea ice around the Antarctic continent is the U.S. Antarctic Programs’ Nathaniel B. Palmer. It’s a scientific research vessel, a platform for global change studies in biology, oceanography, geology, and geophysics. It can accommodate 37 scientists, has a crew of 22, and is capable of 75-day missions.
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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