Posts by

Deborah Byrd

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

Our future doesn’t have to be dismal

Scientists analyzed sustainability projects around the world and identified overarching trends that can potentially help create a more sustainable future.

Deborah Byrd

October 8, 2016

Draconid meteors in 2016

"The Draconids passed by, and although it wasn't spectacular, I was able to catch a few shooting stars, before everything drowned in clouds."

Deborah Byrd

October 8, 2016

Aurora over Glacier National Park

Mesmerizing video of northern lights, resulting from storms on the sun that send charged particles across space, to interact with Earth's magnetic field.

Deborah Byrd

October 8, 2016

Snake eats lizard eats beetle

Scientists have discovered a 48-million-year-old fossil food chain in Germany. It's a snake with a lizard in its stomach, which in turn had eaten a beetle.

Deborah Byrd

October 6, 2016

Rare proton arc over Canada

We see lots of photos here at EarthSky, but few photos of a proton arc. It's a rare type of aurora, and experts aren't entirely sure what causes it.

Deborah Byrd

October 6, 2016

Moon passes Venus, October 2016

Nighttime's 2 brightest objects, near each other! Photos from around the world, here.

Deborah Byrd

October 3, 2016

Comet strike after dinosaur extinction?

An extraterrestrial impact likely caused the dinosaur extinction 65 million years ago. Did a comet strike 10 million years later cause a global warming?

Deborah Byrd

October 3, 2016

A forming solar system with spiral arms

Astronomers are beginning to find spiral structure in forming solar systems, which was earlier predicted by theory.

Deborah Byrd

October 3, 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.