Posts by 

Deborah Byrd

Return of Orion the Hunter, ghost of the summer dawn

Orion the Hunter returns to the east at dawn at this time every year. Here's how to watch for this most noticeable of constellations.

Summer Triangle star: Altair is variable and spins fast!

Altair, in the constellation Aquila the Eagle, is one of the closest stars to our solar system. It's variable in an unusual way, and it spins very fast!

The 1st footsteps on the moon: Celebrate with Moon Day

Today is the 56th anniversary of humanity's historic Apollo moon landing and the 1st human footsteps on the moon. And it's also International Moon Day.

The Day the Earth Smiled at Saturn 12 years ago

July 19 is the 12th anniversary of The Day the Earth Smiled, the 3rd-ever image of Earth from the outer solar system, taken by the great Cassini spacecraft.

Witnessing a solar system’s dawn, for the 1st time

Astronomers have witnessed a solar system's dawn. They see the 1st specks of planet-forming material: hot minerals just beginning to solidify.

Summer Triangle star Deneb is distant and luminous

When you gaze at the bright star Deneb, you’re gazing across thousands of light-years of space at one of the bright stars of the huge Summer Triangle asterism.

Scutum the Shield is named for a Polish king

Constellation Scutum consists only of a few stars, but it's noticeable in a dark sky because a rich region of the Milky Way is behind it.

New Horizons visited Pluto 10 years ago

New Horizons flew past distant Pluto 10 years ago in 2015. It changed forever the way we perceive this outermost world and its moons.

July full moon – the Buck Moon – is today

The July full moon, or Buck Moon, falls on July 10. It's located in the direction of the center of the Milky Way galaxy, and rides low in the sky. Why? Read here.

NASA’s DART mission unleashed a blitz of boulders into space

Space rocks ejected during the DART mission carried 3 times more momentum than the spacecraft itself. This factor could influence planetary defense missions.

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