Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Could we learn E.T.’s language?

If an extraterrestrial civilization had a language, would it have common features with Earth languages? Linguists explain why they think it's possible.

Deborah Byrd

May 29, 2018

Lightning sprites over Oklahoma

My best sprite lightning capture to date, said long-time observer Paul Smith.

Deborah Byrd

May 28, 2018

Is Pluto made of a billion comets?

By comparing data from the 1st-ever Pluto flyby and a 1st-ever comet rendezvous mission, scientists developed what they call the 'giant comet’ model of Pluto formation.

Deborah Byrd

May 25, 2018

What’s this strange cloud?

"Eerie!" thought Michael Scully in North Carolina on Monday morning, when he caught this image with his iPhone. Turns out it was a rocket launch from Wallops Island of an uncrewed Cygnus cargo ship, due to reach the International Space Station today.

Deborah Byrd

May 24, 2018

Astronomers scrutinize Black Widow pulsar

They observed 2 intense regions of radiation on this rapidly spinning pulsar some 6,500 light-years away. "Like seeing a flea on the surface of Pluto," they said.

Deborah Byrd

May 23, 2018

Sunrise from Sea Bright, New Jersey

One World Trade Center - aka Freedom Tower - is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City.

Deborah Byrd

May 23, 2018

Milky Way center over Pondicherry, India

Photographer Karthik Easvur reminds us that our galaxy's center is 25,000 light-years away. So light from the galactic center that reached the sensor of his camera started its journey 25,000 years ago.

Deborah Byrd

May 21, 2018

Situation at Kilauea Volcano ‘steadily worsening’

A large explosion happened on May 18 at Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano, and, at that time, the 1st serious injury was reported. USGS warned of the release of toxic gases in a plume called a laze, which happens when molten lava hits sea water. Images and videos here.

Deborah Byrd

May 20, 2018

TESS planet-hunter snaps 1st test image, swings by moon

How many unseen worlds orbit these stars? The TESS planet-hunter is designed to find nearby exoplanets, between 30 and 300 light-years away.

Deborah Byrd

May 19, 2018

Scientists measure rise in ozone-destroying chemical

Report on CFC-11 - an illegal chemical responsible for ozone-depletion in Earth's atmosphere - now apparently on an upswing again. Meanwhile, new direct evidence the ban on CFCs is working and the ozone hole is recovering.

Eleanor Imster

Deborah Byrd

May 19, 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.