Dawn mission specialists maneuvered the spacecraft into a special orbit, so that it could look down on Ceres' famous bright spots from a position known to astronomers as opposition.

Deborah Byrd

May 21, 2017

ISS crossing the sun’s face

On May 14, the International Space Station crossed the sun's face, as seen from Beijing. Photographer Zheng Zhi was ready to capture the moment.

Deborah Byrd

May 21, 2017

Meet the Leo Triplet

These 3 distant galaxies are all large spirals - much like our Milky Way - and they can be seen in a single field of view in small telescopes.

Deborah Byrd

May 20, 2017

Moon, Venus, Mercury next few mornings

Both Venus and Mercury will remain in the early morning sky through early June, and Venus will remain visible at dawn throughout June and for some months to come.

Deborah Byrd

May 20, 2017

A moon for the 3rd-largest dwarf planet

So many moons! With the discovery of a moon for 2007 OR10, most known dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt - larger than 600 miles across - now are known to have companions.

Deborah Byrd

May 19, 2017

Milky Way over Ijen Volcano

Since National Geographic ran a story on the electric-blue flame of Ijen Volcano, tourism has increased. Seeing the night sky is another reason to go!

Deborah Byrd

May 19, 2017

A giant magnetic bridge between galaxies

Known as the Magellanic Bridge, it's a huge stream of neutral gas stretching 75,000 light-years between the 2 Magellanic Clouds, which orbit our Milky Way.

Deborah Byrd

May 18, 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.