Here's a beautiful image of a sliding (or sailing or slithering) stone at Death Valley's famous Racetrack Playa. Cat Connor caught it on Christmas Day 2014.

Deborah Byrd

March 10, 2017

Leo and Chinese guardian lions

An earthly lion guards the gates, while, in the sky, a celestial Lion - Leo - ascends. Astrophotographer Jeff Dai of China tells the story.

Deborah Byrd

March 9, 2017

Stardust sheds light on 1st stars

Astronomers observed a young galaxy, existing when the universe was only 4% of its current age. It had a mass of interstellar dust, formed during explosions of an earlier generation of stars.

Deborah Byrd

March 8, 2017

GOES-16’s 1st flashy images

Detecting and predicting severe weather just got easier, scientists announced, with the 1st images from a new Lightning Mapper onboard NOAA’s new GOES-16 satellite.

Deborah Byrd

March 7, 2017

Beautiful video: Dolphin stampede

Truly one of the most wonderful videos we've seen. If you watch, you'll see thousands of dolphins, plus a whale calf snuggling with its mom.

Deborah Byrd

March 7, 2017

Ceres’ bright spots are young

Scientists have learned that dwarf planet Ceres' bright spots are only 4 million years old. To geologists, youth means activity and, in this case, ice volcanos.

Deborah Byrd

March 6, 2017

Webb telescope to probe 7 worlds

The nearness of 7 newly found Earth-sized planets - and the smallness their host star - make them perfect targets for the new space telescope that'll be Hubble's successor.

Deborah Byrd

March 5, 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.