Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Witnessing the birth of today’s stars

Dust shrouds the era of distant galaxies, in which most of today's stars were born 10 billion years ago. Astronomers used radio telescopes to pierce the dust.

Deborah Byrd

December 27, 2016

Arc and 2 sundogs over Illinois

Halos like this one around the sun or moon are caused by ice crystal high in Earth's sky. Notice the upside-down rainbow-like arc above. It's called a circumzenithal arc.

Deborah Byrd

December 27, 2016

Snow in the Sahara Desert

Snow in a place where summertime temperatures are high - though wintertime temps can drop to freezing - and where precipitation from the skies is rare.

Deborah Byrd

December 26, 2016

Super fast spin for supergiant Betelgeuse

This famous red star is spinning some 150 times faster than expected. Astronomers think it swallowed a companion star just 100,000 years ago.

Deborah Byrd

December 25, 2016

Bailey the unknown reindeer

Like dogs? Celebrate Christmas? Don't miss this classic video Christmas greeting from Bailey the unknown reindeer.

Deborah Byrd

December 24, 2016

Solstice sun rolling down the hill

An 8-frame animation of the sun setting behind Tijuca Peak in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 10 hours after the Southern Hemisphere's summer solstice.

Deborah Byrd

December 24, 2016

Setting sun apparition

"A couple of bright blobs of orange light appeared for one minute ... in almost the exact position where the sun usually sets for the few days around our summer solstice."

Deborah Byrd

December 23, 2016

Cold Neptunes an exoplanet sweet spot?

As astronomers explore distance solar systems, what can they expect to find? A new study suggests likely Neptune-mass worlds in solar systems' icy outer realms.

Deborah Byrd

December 22, 2016

Winter solstice at Stonehenge

Stonehenge is carefully aligned on a sight-line that points to the winter solstice sunset, but, this year as in most recent years, the revelry began before sunrise.

Deborah Byrd

December 21, 2016

Scientists find jet stream in Earth’s core

ESA's Swarm satellites have discovered a jet stream in the liquid iron part of Earth’s core, nearly 2,000 miles (3000 km) below the surface.

Deborah Byrd

December 20, 2016

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.