Posts by

Deborah Byrd

See it! Young moon, Venus, Mars

The moon has returned to the evening sky. This week, it's sweeping past brilliant Venus and fainter Mars. Photos from the EarthSky community, here.

Deborah Byrd

January 30, 2017

Death of Granny, matriarch killer whale

What happens when an endangered whale pod loses its wise old grandma?

Deborah Byrd

January 29, 2017

Wow! Jupiter and Little Red Spot

The Little Red Spot is Jupiter's 3rd-largest anticyclonic storm. Earth-based observers have tracked it for the last 23 years. The Juno spacecraft captured this amazing image.

Deborah Byrd

January 28, 2017

Space station moon

The International Space Station flying in front of the moon on January 14 as seen from the European Space Agency's space science center near Madrid, Spain.

Deborah Byrd

January 28, 2017

Orion, from China’s Great Wall

The link between the constellation we know as Orion the Hunter and the Chinese New Year, celebrated throughout Southeast Asia and the world, and coming in 2017 on January 28.

Deborah Byrd

January 27, 2017

Contrail shadow

Jet contrail shadows appear to be cast by a low-altitude bright light shining upwards. In fact, the light source is the sun, and the shadow is cast downward on clouds below.

Deborah Byrd

January 26, 2017

Early humans wiped out big animals in Australia

A new study suggests that humans, not climate change, were the primary cause of extinction of the huge and astonishing creatures that roamed Australia 45,000 years ago.

Deborah Byrd

January 25, 2017

Asteroid buzzed Earth and moon January 25

Asteroid 2017 BX - found just days ago - is maybe about as big as a house. It passed safely Tuesday night or Wednesday, depending on your time zone.

Deborah Byrd

January 25, 2017

Hole-punch clouds over SoCal

Hole-punch clouds result from a combination of cold temperatures, air traffic, and atmospheric instability. Conditions were ripe for making them over southern California last weekend.

Deborah Byrd

January 25, 2017

New Earth images from GOES-16

The satellite's 1st images since its launch a few months ago. GOES-16 provides 4 times the image resolution - 4 times more detail - than earlier GOES satellites. Weather forecasters are excited!

Deborah Byrd

January 23, 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.