Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Farthest active inbound comet yet

Most comets become active only when near the sun. This one is active, but distant, between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus, where sunlight is 1/225th as bright as seen from Earth.

Deborah Byrd

October 2, 2017

Waterglyph

Marc Toso tried 3 times to capture this ancient petroglyph known as a waterglyph, estimated to be between 2,000 and 1,000 years old. The 3rd time was the charm.

Deborah Byrd

October 2, 2017

Scientists reveal secrets of lost continent Zealandia

Scientists have just returned from a major expedition to Zealandia, a "hidden" Earth continent, likely submerged beneath the sea surface more than 80 million years ago.

Deborah Byrd

October 1, 2017

New Horizons’ discoveries keep coming

New ScienceCast video on recent results from New Horizons spacecraft data. Landslides on Charon. Possible snow on Pluto. Plus a preview of New Horizons' next target.

Deborah Byrd

September 30, 2017

Is the Milky Way a normal galaxy?

Astronomers assume our Milky Way galaxy is typical. They use our knowledge of it to leapfrog out to understanding the rest of the universe. But is the Milky Way typical?

Eleanor Imster

Deborah Byrd

September 28, 2017

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

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.