Posts by

Deborah Byrd

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

Snow, lit by full moon, from space

An Arctic air mass brought snow to the northern U.S. last week. A lake-effect snow followed an earlier snow accumulation. A NASA satellite caught the view from space, under full moonlight.

Deborah Byrd

December 20, 2016

Spacecraft to search for Trojan asteroids

In February 2017, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will search for Earth-Trojan asteroids in the vicinity of Earth's L-4 point while on its outbound journey to the asteroid Bennu.

Deborah Byrd

December 19, 2016

Ursid meteors are flying

The moon is up during the best hours for watching (after midnight). Still, people are catching Ursid meteors. This one was a bright one! The Ursid shower peaks this week.

Deborah Byrd

December 19, 2016

Scientists explore Ceres’ water wealth

Water ice in permanently shadowed craters on Ceres. Water ice everywhere, on or near the surface. Last week, Dawn spacecraft scientists presented 2 lines of evidence that Ceres is water-rich.

Deborah Byrd

December 18, 2016

Ceres bright spots get names

The International Astronomical Union approved the new names on November 26, and scientists used them while discussing other findings about Ceres at this week's American Geophysical Union meeting.

Deborah Byrd

December 17, 2016

Rosetta comet craft’s last words

One of Rosetta's final reports was of a large object in its field of view: the comet's horizon as the spacecraft was about to strike the comet.

Deborah Byrd

December 17, 2016

Rover hits jackpot of Mars evidence

A cool animation showing now and long ago at Gale Crater, plus the path of the Curiosity rover on Mars today, and an update on Curiosity's findings.

Deborah Byrd

December 17, 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.