Posts by 

Deborah Byrd

1st intentional signal to space sent by Arecibo 50 years ago

Iconic Arecibo telescope is no longer operational. But its legacy lives on. And in 1974, Arecibo sent earthlings' 1st intentional signal to space.

The strange seasons of Uranus, a sideways world

The seasons of Uranus, each over 2 decades long, result from its tilted rotation axis, making for strange summers and winters on that planet.

When can YOU see the 1st-ever human-made meteor shower?

When DART spacecraft hit asteroid Dimorphos, it released debris that should arrive at Mars and Earth, creating the 1st human-made meteor shower for the planets.

Cassiopeia and Perseus on October evenings

Cassiopeia and Perseus are neighbors in the fall sky. Use Cassiopeia's distinctive W or M shape to locate the dimmer Perseus on autumn and winter evenings.

Comet A3 was the brightest comet in 27 years!

Comet A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was the brightest comet in 27 years, since Hale-Bopp. Did you see it? More on the comet plus images here.

60% chance for La Niña in late 2024. Mild or cold winter?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a La Niña Watch for the northern autumn of 2024. If it happens, conditions will likely persist to early 2025.

Celestial ocean: The watery constellations in the autumn sky

In Northern Hemisphere autumn (Southern Hemisphere spring), you can see some constellations representing a "celestial ocean in the sky" to early stargazers.

Alpheratz belongs to Andromeda, but is part of the Great Square

Alpheratz appears to our eyes as a single star but it is actually a close binary star system. Many stargazers use it to locate the Andromeda galaxy.

Flashing star in autumn? Here are 3 candidates

Some October night, check out 3 of the flashiest stars in the night sky ... at least at this time of year. And here's why you see these as a flashing star.

Cassiopeia the Queen is overhead on autumn evenings

Spot the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen somewhere in the northern sky during much of the year, and throughout much of the night. It's high overhead now.