The nearest sunlike star is Tau Ceti, only 12 light-years away. It's now known to have at least 4 planets orbiting it, with relatively small masses, tantalizingly close to Earth's mass.

Deborah Byrd

August 10, 2017

It’s smoky in the Pacific Northwest

The smoke is from wildfires, an increasingly common occurrence at this time of year. It can't be welcome news to those who've planned trips to that area for the August 21 total solar eclipse.

Deborah Byrd

August 10, 2017

Wishing on a shooting star

Grant Miller captured this self-portrait during 2016's Perseid meteor shower. 2017's shower has interference from the moon, but you still might see a bright meteor!

Deborah Byrd

August 9, 2017

Intense Antarctic melt season causes decade-long effects

Multi-decade study reveals changes in Antarctica's Dry Valleys and suggests "significant transformations of Antarctic ecosystems are underway now and will continue to be affected by future climate events."

Deborah Byrd

August 8, 2017

See it! Full moon and partial eclipse

We in the Americas missed the partial lunar eclipse. Or maybe you were clouded out ... or slept through it? See it after all, in these awesome photos from EarthSky friends from around the world.

Deborah Byrd

August 7, 2017

Is 2014 MU69 composed of 2 objects?

The next target for the New Horizons spacecraft - which passed Pluto in 2015 - reveals itself, intriguingly, to be a possible contact binary, that is, 2 objects in 1.

Deborah Byrd

August 6, 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.