Posts by

Deborah Byrd

What’s the weather like on Proxima b?

The nearest known exoplanet - orbiting the star Proxima Centauri - is only 4.2 light-years away. Does it have liquid water? An atmosphere? Weather? Scientists just announced the first tentative steps to explore those possibilities.

Deborah Byrd

May 15, 2017

The oldest signs of life on land yet

Fossils found in Australia - in ancient hot spring deposits - have pushed back the earliest known evidence for land-based microbial life to 3.48 billion years.

Deborah Byrd

May 15, 2017

Circumzenithal arc over Surrey, England

Circumzenithal arcs look like upside-down rainbows, but they're caused by ice crystals, not rain. They're sometimes seen with sundogs, and even full halos around the sun or moon.

Deborah Byrd

May 15, 2017

The Big Dipper’s deep sky

Many people recognize the Big Dipper in the northern sky. Here are 10 deep-sky Messier objects - 8 galaxies, a planetary nebula, and a double star - in and around the Big Dipper.

Deborah Byrd

May 13, 2017

Got 5 minutes? Learn to see Saturn

June, July and August are especially good months for viewing Saturn in 2017. But you can find Saturn in May, 2017, too, especially when the moon sweeps past on May 11, 12 and 13.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

May 11, 2017

Crossed contrails, with shadows

Striking contrail shadow image from the magical sunset skies of northern New Mexico.

Deborah Byrd

May 11, 2017

Twilight dream

"Have you ever woken up from a dream and the view was still there?"

Deborah Byrd

May 10, 2017

Video teaser: Noctilucent cloud season

Noctilucent clouds - aka night-shining clouds - can be seen at high latitudes in summer, typically beginning for northern latitudes in late May. French photographer Adrien Mauduit in Denmark assembled his best 2016 photos into a wondrous video.

Deborah Byrd

May 8, 2017

See it! Last night’s moon and Jupiter

They were the brightest objects nearly all night Sunday night, as seen from around the world. Here are a few photos from the EarthSky community. Thanks to all who submitted!

Deborah Byrd

May 8, 2017

The last of Hubble’s Frontier Fields

With a final observation of remote galaxy cluster Abell 370, the Hubble Space Telescope's mind-stretching Frontier Fields program came to an end.

Deborah Byrd

May 7, 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.