Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Milky Way over Frosty Drew Observatory

The starry band of the Milky Way before dawn in early May. Add in a chorus of wildlife, and you have a stargazing experience to remember.

Deborah Byrd

May 7, 2017

X-ray tsunami in Perseus galaxy cluster

Not so very long ago or far away in astronomical terms, a near-miss between titanic galaxy clusters might have set into motion an immense wave of hot gas.

Deborah Byrd

May 5, 2017

An early Eta Aquarid meteor

Eliot Herman in Tucson has an automatic camera set-up that catches many meteors. He caught this one Wednesday morning.

Deborah Byrd

May 4, 2017

Video: Close-approach comets

ScienceCast video from NASA about comets passing near Earth in 2017 and 2018, and about how scientists are studying them. Plus photos from our community!

Eleanor Imster

Deborah Byrd

May 3, 2017

Cassini finds ‘big empty’ near Saturn

It's not totally empty, but the space between Saturn and its rings is much emptier than scientists expected. Cassini will make its 2nd dive through this gap at 3:38 p.m. EDT (19:38 UTC) today.

Deborah Byrd

May 2, 2017

Tulip field in Holland

Keukenhof in Holland - situated on what once were hunting grounds for a 15th century castle - is now known for its tulips. Here's how one tulip field looked a few days ago.

Deborah Byrd

May 2, 2017

Milky Way over New Zealand

The core of the Milky Way is coming back into view in the evening. Here's a preview, from a glorious Southern Hemisphere vantage point.

Deborah Byrd

May 1, 2017

Simulating the smallest ring world

Chariklo is the smallest space body known to have rings. A new supercomputer simulation by Japanese researchers suggests a life expectancy for the rings of only 1 to 100 years.

Deborah Byrd

April 30, 2017

Io’s shadow on Jupiter

Here's is Jupiter's closest moon, Io, casting its shadow on Jupiter's cloud tops. Another moon, Europa, is to the left.

Deborah Byrd

April 29, 2017

How Kepler saw Neptune

New video from NASA depicting the observations of our solar system's 8th planet, Neptune, by the famous planet-hunting Kepler telescope.

Deborah Byrd

April 29, 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.