Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Giant black hole at cosmic dawn

Meet J1342+0928, now the most distant quasar yet known, containing the most-distant-yet supermassive black hole. Both exist at a time just 690 million years after the Big Bang.

Deborah Byrd

December 6, 2017

See it! December’s full supermoon

December's full supermoon was the closest and brightest full moon of 2017. Wonderful photos here from the EarthSky community around the world.

Deborah Byrd

December 4, 2017

Voyager 1 fires thrusters after 37 years

Now, the Voyager team is able to use a set of 4 backup thrusters, dormant since 1980. The team says it'll extend the life of Voyager 1 - the fastest and farthest craft from Earth - by several more years.

Deborah Byrd

December 4, 2017

Supermassive black holes photobomb Andromeda galaxy

Astronomers thought J0045+41 was 2 orbiting stars, part of the nearby Andromeda galaxy. New work shows it's 1,000 times more distant, possibly the most tightly coupled pair of supermassive black holes yet seen.

Deborah Byrd

December 2, 2017

Lunar halo and clouds over Tucson

An example of pareidolia ... in this case, the moon, a halo and clouds looking like the moon rocketing into a halo!

Deborah Byrd

December 2, 2017

Bright moon and aurora borealis

Does a bright moon means you can't see the northern lights? No. Here's awesome proof that, for photographers at least, moonlight can enhance the view.

Deborah Byrd

December 1, 2017

Hello, Small Magellanic Cloud

The Small Magellanic Cloud is a dwarf galaxy orbiting our Milky Way and a beautiful night-sky gem for those in Earth's Southern Hemisphere. Here it is in the light of atomic hydrogen. Whoa!

Deborah Byrd

November 30, 2017

Probing the Hubble Ultra Deep Field

Astronomers used an instrument called MUSE to conduct the deepest-ever spectroscopic survey. The result was a bonanza of new knowledge.

Deborah Byrd

November 29, 2017

Most blue whales are ‘right-handed’

Of course, they don't have hands. But scientists used motion-sensing tags to show that most blue whales roll to the right as they feed – except when swimming upward.

Deborah Byrd

November 28, 2017

Early morning halo over Idaho

Sheryl R. Garrison in north Idaho wrote: "This morning began with a stunning sunrise followed by a beautiful 22-degree halo over the Pend Oreille river."

Deborah Byrd

November 28, 2017

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.