Posts by 

Deborah Byrd

Thuban was the North Star for the ancient Egyptians

The North Star changes over time. Thuban was the Pole Star some 5,000 years ago, when the Egyptians were building the pyramids.

Witnessing a solar system’s dawn, for the 1st time

Astronomers have witnessed a solar system's dawn. They see the 1st specks of planet-forming material: hot minerals just beginning to solidify.

Scutum the Shield is named for a Polish king

Constellation Scutum consists only of a few stars, but it's noticeable in a dark sky because a rich region of the Milky Way is behind it.

New Horizons visited Pluto 10 years ago

New Horizons flew past distant Pluto 10 years ago in 2015. It changed forever the way we perceive this outermost world and its moons.

NASA’s DART mission unleashed a blitz of boulders into space

Space rocks ejected during the DART mission carried 3 times more momentum than the spacecraft itself. This factor could influence planetary defense missions.

Human dam-building has caused a small (but astonishing) pole shift

Human dam-building - nearly 7,000 dams from 1835 to 2011 - has shifted Earth's poles and caused a drop in global sea levels.

Double detonation supernova destroyed this star!

Check out this amazing image of a supernova remnant, showing its star exploded twice! And hear from the scientists who created the image.

Another SpaceX Starship explosion! Huge fireball during test

A SpaceX Starship upper stage exploded during a static-fire test on June 18, at SpaceX's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. See the video.

Alphecca, a jewel in Corona Borealis the Northern Crown

Alphecca. Gemma. Alpha Coronae Borealis or simply Alpha Cor Bor. They're all names for a single star, the brightest star in the Northern Crown.

Starship Flight Test 9 soars to space, then loses control

SpaceX's Starship rocket lifted off for the 9th time. It made it into space, then sprang a leak, spun out of control and tumbled back to Earth's atmosphere.