Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Asteroid 3122 Florence: Video and images

This large asteroid swept closest to Earth on September 1. It's big enough that astronomers are still catching it in small telescopes, as a small, slow-moving “star.”

Deborah Byrd

September 8, 2017

Giant sunspots, solar flares, aurora alert!

Sunwatchers are still tracking those 2 large sunspot groups making their way across the Earth-facing side of the sun. Then yesterday there was an X-flare! Watch for possible auroras.

Deborah Byrd

September 7, 2017

See an extra-red moon or sun this week?

If you live in the U.S. or Canada, a peculiarly red moon - or very spectacular sunrise or sunset - might be due to smoke from wildfires. Click in for images from Earth and space.

Deborah Byrd

September 6, 2017

How many house-sized NEOs?

A new study shows house-sized NEOs - Near-Earth Objects - to be 10 times fewer than studies had indicated. Still, there are some 3.5 million NEOs larger than 10 meters across.

Deborah Byrd

September 5, 2017

Millions of stars

This image sequence from ESA's billion-star surveyor - Gaia - looks toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy and captures some 2.8 million stars.

Deborah Byrd

September 4, 2017

Alien seekers report 15 more fast radio bursts from FRB 121102

Breakthrough Listen – an initiative to find signs of intelligent life in the universe – used the Green Bank Telescope to observe the bursts from the mysterious distant object known as FRB 121102.

Deborah Byrd

September 2, 2017

Venus and bright stars, east before sunup

From our friend Tom Wildoner, a single shot of the morning stars in the sunrise direction. He added labels to help you identify some of the brighter objects on your morning commute!

Deborah Byrd

September 1, 2017

After Harvey, a fire ant raft in Texas

A mass of live fire ants floating on the Texas flood.

Deborah Byrd

August 31, 2017

Exploring the triggers of cosmic disaster

A new study uses data from ESA's Gaia satellite to give the first systematic estimate of how often passing stars nudge comets from the Oort Cloud and send them plunging toward the inner solar system.

Deborah Byrd

August 31, 2017

Closest far-moon of 2017 on August 30

Today's moon reaches its most distant point from Earth for the month. Astronomers call this point an "apogee" of the moon. This month's apogee is closer than any other in 2017.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

August 30, 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.