Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Black holes with ravenous appetites

Both Type I and Type II active galaxies have central, supermassive black holes, which consume the galaxies from within. But new work suggests the black holes in Type Is eat faster.

Deborah Byrd

September 27, 2017

Passing spacecraft snaps Earth pics

OSIRIS-REx swept past Earth on September 22 and received a gravity boost toward its goal, asteroid Bennu, in 2018. It also acquired the images to make this stunning new Earth portrait.

Deborah Byrd

September 26, 2017

How fast is our universe expanding?

Here's a great New ScienceCast video about the controversial Hubble Constant. It's the key to knowing the age of our universe and much more.

Deborah Byrd

September 26, 2017

Giant iceberg on the move

The calving of this iceberg in July reduced the size of Antarctica's Larsen C ice shelf by 12 percent. The berg hung near the coast awhile, but now it's seen drifting.

Deborah Byrd

September 25, 2017

Fast radio bursts firing every second?

New theoretical work indicates at least 1 fast radio burst, or FRB, going off somewhere each second. It contradicts the idea that FRBs might be evidence of an alien technology.

Deborah Byrd

September 25, 2017

Moon, Antares, Saturn on September 25, 2017

On September 25 and 26 , 2017, watch for the waxing crescent moon to swing to the north of the star Antares, then to the north of the planet Saturn.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

September 25, 2017

Sun photobombed Mars encounter with comet Siding Spring

Comet Siding Spring swept closer to Mars than any known comet in recorded history, creating the largest-ever-known meteor shower. But the sun got in on the act.

Deborah Byrd

September 24, 2017

Astronomers find strange, comet-like double asteroid

Comets are loose collections of ice and dust, sometimes with long tails. Asteroids are more rocky or metallic. Now astronomers have found a comet-like double asteroid.

Deborah Byrd

September 23, 2017

Earth will give this spacecraft a gravity boost today

OSIRIS-REx - bound for a 2018 encounter with asteroid Bennu - will sweep in close to Earth on Friday. It'll be closest today just before 16:52 UTC (12:52 p.m. EDT).

Deborah Byrd

September 22, 2017

See it! Young moon and Jupiter

Wow! So many beautiful photos of something relatively hard to catch … the young moon returning to the evening sky this week next to the bright planet Jupiter.

Deborah Byrd

September 22, 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.