Posts by 

Deborah Byrd

Deneb is an incredibly distant star. But how do we know?

The star Deneb - part of the Summer Triangle - is one of the most distant stars you can see with your eye alone. But why don't we know its distance precisely?

Meet lovable, easy-to-find Corvus the Crow

Corvus the Crow is a small constellation, recognizable for its compact, boxy shape. It's a fun one! You can find it by locating Spica, the brightest star in Virgo.

Spica, the bright beacon of Virgo, is 2 stars

Spica is a scorching-hot pair of stars, whirling very closely around one another. One of them may go supernova someday. It's the brightest star in Virgo.

Vega is a bright bluish star on May evenings

The blue star Vega is the brightest light in the distinctive constellation Lyra the Harp. Vega is easy to spot in May by looking northeast in the evening.

Massive wildfire in New Jersey still burning. Images here.

The massive wildfire in New Jersey - which began burning in Ocean County yesterday - has burned thousands of acres, forced evacuations and closed roads.

Massive Myanmar earthquake. Hundreds feared dead.

The 7.7-magnitude Myanmar earthquake caused the collapse of an unfinished high-rise in Bangkok, with 81 construction workers inside.

Have you seen a white rainbow? That’s a fogbow!

Have you ever seen a rainbow but without any color? That's a fogbow, also called a white rainbow or ghost rainbow. Here's how they form.

The Great Meteor Procession 112 years ago

On February 9, 1913, lucky observers witnessed the Great Meteor Procession. Bright meteors soared horizontally across the sky for minutes at a time.

Lightsails, and the audacious plan to reach the stars

Lightsails for star travel sound like the stuff of science fiction. But researchers at Caltech have been studying the properties of potential lightsails in the lab.

A planetary alignment on January 25, 2025?

You've heard the internet rumor of a great planetary alignment on January 25, 2025. So what's true and what isn't? The answers are here.

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