Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Find bright Mars near the moon

Watch for Mars near the moon on June 29 and 30 and on July 1, 2018. And notice Mars' dramatic brightness now! Mars will get even brighter before its opposition in late July, best since 2003.

Deborah Byrd

June 29, 2018

James Webb Space Telescope launch pushed to 2021

Space fans waiting for the launch of the Webb Space Telescope - which will be the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope - will have to wait longer.

Deborah Byrd

June 28, 2018

Interstellar asteroid update: It’s a comet!

`Oumuamua is moving faster than expected on its way out of our solar system. Astronomers now think it's really a comet, venting material from its surface that's giving the object a small but steady push.

Deborah Byrd

June 28, 2018

See it! Last night’s full moon and Saturn

It was tough to catch Saturn in the moon's glare last night, but we received some stunning shots of the full moon. Keep watching this post. More pics expected today! Thanks to all who submitted.

Deborah Byrd

June 28, 2018

ISS crosses the moon’s face

A new image by Colin Legg showing the International Space Station transiting the face of the June 24 waxing gibbous moon. Plus information on how you can take a photo like this.

Deborah Byrd

June 26, 2018

A solargraph over the Kelpies, Scotland

A solargraph is a long-exposure photo showing the sun's path across the sky, day after day. The Kelpies, in Scotland, are said to be the world's largest equine statues.

Deborah Byrd

June 25, 2018

Rosetta spacecraft image archive complete

Rosetta journeyed through space for 12 years and performed early flybys of Earth, Mars and 2 asteroids before arriving at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It produced nearly 100,000 images. Some of the best, here.

Deborah Byrd

June 24, 2018

The perfect swarm

Fireflies are winged beetles. They use bioluminescence - emitting light due to a chemical reaction in their abdomens - to attract mates or prey.

Deborah Byrd

June 24, 2018

Will ‘slow earthquakes’ along central San Andreas trigger larger quakes?

"Based on our observations, we believe that seismic hazard in California is something that varies over time and is probably higher than what people have thought up to now."

Deborah Byrd

June 22, 2018

Sunset and smoke over Colorado

The last of the evacuation orders for the 416 fire north of Durango, in southwest Colorado, were lifted on June 19, 2018, as rainfall squelched the fire.

Deborah Byrd

June 22, 2018

Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah 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. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. 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.