Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Asteroid to buzz by Super Bowl Sunday

How to watch online as asteroid 2002 AJ129 - a relatively massive, fast-moving asteroid - passes at about 10 times the moon's distance on February 4, 2018.

Deborah Byrd

February 3, 2018

Mount Sharp photobombs Mars rover selfie

Mars' Mount Sharp - whose flanks are the focus of the Curiosity rover's studies on Mars - photobombed this January 2018 selfie of the rover.

Deborah Byrd

February 1, 2018

Why space radiation won’t stop human space exploration

Videos and links related to potential health effects to astronauts from space radiation, plus solutions and countermeasures.

Deborah Byrd

January 31, 2018

Double moon halo

A 22-degree lunar halo, with a 9-degree lunar halo inside it.

Deborah Byrd

January 30, 2018

These clouds are called ship tracks

Ship tracks typically form among low-lying stratus and cumulus clouds. They form around exhaust particles released by ships.

Deborah Byrd

January 29, 2018

Research shows black holes push away their dinners

“Winds must blow away a large fraction of the matter a black hole could eat," researchers said.

Deborah Byrd

January 28, 2018

Will future landers on Europa sink?

Jupiter's moon Europa is an ocean world beneath an icy crust, and scientists want to land a spacecraft there. But a new study indicates a surface less dense than freshly fallen snow.

Deborah Byrd

January 28, 2018

Swollen Seine causing Paris floods

Eastern France experienced unusually heavy rainfall throughout January 2018, and last week the Seine, in Paris, began a precipitous rise. Videos here.

Deborah Byrd

January 27, 2018

Sun pillar over frozen lake, Sweden

Nature photographer Jörgen Andersson posted this photo to EarthSky Facebook on January 22, 2018.

Deborah Byrd

January 25, 2018

Scientist proposes yet another new definition of a planet

What's a planet? What's a dwarf planet? What's a brown dwarf? In recent years, astronomers have grappled with these definitions. The newest proposal comes from Johns Hopkins.

Deborah Byrd

January 24, 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.