Posts by

Deborah Byrd

2016 greenhouse gases at record high

As climate talks open in Bonn, Germany this week, negotiators are considering a report from the World Meteorological Organization, urging action now.

Deborah Byrd

Eleanor Imster

November 7, 2017

Next Mars rover will have 23 eyes

Cameras have come a long way since the first Mars rover in 1997. The newest Mars rover from NASA - on the Mars 2020 mission - will have a wider field of view, plus more color and 3-D imaging.

Deborah Byrd

November 5, 2017

See it! Full Hunter’s Moon

This weekend's Hunter's Moon, as captured by EarthSky friends around the world. Thank you to all who submitted photos!

Deborah Byrd

November 4, 2017

Astronomers complete 1st global asteroid tracking drill

This is only a test. Astronomers report on the TC4 Observation Campaign, which, in October, used a real Near-Earth Asteroid to practice our global response to a potential asteroid threat.

Deborah Byrd

November 4, 2017

A rare chance to scrutinize a comet’s jet

On July 3, 2016 - as Comet 67P erupted with a plume of dust - the orbiting Rosetta spacecraft happened to pass right through the dust cloud.

Deborah Byrd

November 1, 2017

Flying Horse over Cusco, Peru

If you travel from the Northern to the Southern Hemisphere, or vice versa, you'll see familiar constellations. But their location in the sky will be shifted in surprising and delightful ways.

Deborah Byrd

November 1, 2017

Boo! Halloween star trails

When your camera stays fixed as the stars move throughout the night, you get a photo of what are called star trails. Then ... just add pumpkins.

Deborah Byrd

October 31, 2017

Smokey sunset skies over Italy

These swirling, intense red sunset skies are due to ongoing wildfires in northern Italy.

Deborah Byrd

October 30, 2017

Mojave Forsaken: Ghost towns and dark skies

Let the creepiness begin! Just in time for Halloween, a new video from ProjectSkyGlow depicting spooky California ghost towns under the darkest of dark night skies.

Deborah Byrd

October 30, 2017

Small object visits from beyond solar system

This small asteroid (or comet) passed under Earth's orbit on October 14 at about 60 times the moon's distance. Now it appears to be heading toward interstellar space again.

Deborah Byrd

October 29, 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.