Posts by

Deborah Byrd

California superbloom from space

Thanks to years of drought followed by above-average rainfall, California is enjoying a fantastic wildflower superbloom in 2017. See before-and-after space images here.

Deborah Byrd

April 13, 2017

A star whose magnetic field flipped

Tau Boötis was the first star, other than our sun, ever seen to undergo a magnetic field reversal. This post also includes 2 great videos about our sun's magnetic reversals.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

April 13, 2017

First-ever image of dark matter?

The scientists say their image, which combines images from more than 23,000 galaxy pairs, confirms dark matter's existence. Will other astronomers agree?

Deborah Byrd

April 12, 2017

Jupiter has a Great Cold Spot

The newly discovered Great Cold Spot on Jupiter rivals the scale of the planet's Great Red Spot. It's thought to be driven by powerful energies from auroras at Jupiter's poles.

Deborah Byrd

Eleanor Imster

April 12, 2017

Sun pillar over England

A sun pillar, visible earlier this month before and up until dawn, from the Northumberland coast in northeast England.

Deborah Byrd

April 12, 2017

New views of Uranus’ auroras and rings

NASA just released a new composite image combining Voyager 2 and Hubble data to show both the rings and auroras of Uranus.

Deborah Byrd

April 12, 2017

Southern lights over South Pole

Hunter Davis sent these photos from Antarctica this morning of the aurora australis - or southern lights - now appearing over Earth's South Pole.

Deborah Byrd

April 11, 2017

The perilous process of star birth

It isn't a supernova or dying star. It's an explosion during star birth and provides insights into the sometimes-fierce relationship among sibling stars.

Deborah Byrd

April 10, 2017

Watch for Venus before dawn

While watching Jupiter and the moon around April 9-11, don't forget Venus! It passed between us and the sun on March 25 and now blazes in the east before dawn.

Deborah Byrd

April 10, 2017

Jupiter and its moons

The 4 largest moons of Jupiter - called the Galilean satellites - are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Recent photos here.

Deborah Byrd

April 9, 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.