Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Hubble reveals 10 times more galaxies

The universe suddenly looks a lot more crowded, thanks to a deep-sky census assembled from surveys taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and other observatories.

Deborah Byrd

October 13, 2016

The graceful arc of the ecliptic

The ecliptic is the path of the sun across our sky, and also of the moon and planets. This photo illustrates it beautifully.

Deborah Byrd

October 13, 2016

The Milky Way’s ancient heart

Astronomers found RR Lyrae stars at our Milky Way galaxy's core. They now believe ancient globular star clusters may have merged to form the core of the Milky Way.

Deborah Byrd

October 12, 2016

The fate of worlds orbiting 2 suns

These Tatooine worlds, as they're called, might be the ultimate survivors, as their 2 stars begin aging in ways that are sometimes threatening or even catastrophic.

Deborah Byrd

October 12, 2016

Mercury and Jupiter before dawn

A lucky few caught the Mercury-Jupiter conjunction this week, because these worlds are so near the sunrise. Thank you to all who contributed!

Deborah Byrd

October 12, 2016

Dueling lights

Milky Way vs. zodiacal light! Captured over beautiful Yamdrok Lake in Tibet.

Deborah Byrd

October 11, 2016

Wildfires in US West doubled in 30 years

A warmer climate has helped send thousands of square miles up in flames, says a new study, which links climate change with the wildfire increase.

Deborah Byrd

October 10, 2016

Our universe has no direction

The universe isn't spinning or stretched in any particular direction, according to stringent tests from scientists in London.

Deborah Byrd

October 10, 2016

Giant ‘cannonballs’ shooting from star

The Hubble Space Telescope has detected superhot blobs of gas, each twice as massive as the planet Mars, being ejected near a dying star.

Deborah Byrd

October 9, 2016

Evidence for a wandering black hole

Astronomers have found another possible rogue black hole, with about 100,000 times our sun's mass. It may have come from a small galaxy falling into a larger one.

Deborah Byrd

October 8, 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.