Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Philae comet lander … found!

With only a month left of the Rosetta mission, the Philae comet lander has been found wedged into a dark crack on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

Deborah Byrd

September 5, 2016

A quasar Milky Way six million years ago?

As the first human ancestors walked the Earth, our galaxy's central black hole might have been in the process of blasting away most of the galaxy's normal matter.

Deborah Byrd

September 4, 2016

Venus, Jupiter and the young moon

Photos from the EarthSky community of the fragile young moon sweeping past the sky's 2 brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, this weekend. Thanks to all who submitted!

Deborah Byrd

September 4, 2016

Hurricane Hermine strikes Florida coast

National Weather Service in Tallahassee reported that Hermine made landfall east of St. Marks, near Tallahassee, early Friday morning as a Category 1 hurricane.

Deborah Byrd

September 2, 2016

Space X explosion at Cape Canaveral

No injuries in Thursday's explosion on a SpaceX launch pad at Cape Canaveral. But Facebook's planned satellite is no more.

Deborah Byrd

September 1, 2016

Satellite image: After Italy’s earthquake

Satellite images reveal the full extent of destruction following Italy’s earthquake on August 24, 2016. More information and links to the map set here.

Deborah Byrd

September 1, 2016

No alien signal, says SETI astronomer

A strong signal from a sunlike star sparked speculation this week that we might - at last - have heard from an alien civilization. Now astronomers say ... no.

Deborah Byrd

August 31, 2016

Will Planet 9 spell doom for solar system?

No, not Nibiru. Theoretical astronomers describe how a hypothetical Planet 9 could hurtle Jupiter into interstellar space when the sun dies, billions of years from now.

Deborah Byrd

August 31, 2016

A galaxy made of 99.9% dark matter

Although it's relatively nearby, Dragonfly 44 was missed for decades by astronomers because it's very dim. But there's more to this galaxy than meets the eye.

Deborah Byrd

August 30, 2016

A rare sky over northern Idaho

A 22-degree halo and circumzenithal arc, an upper tangent arc and 2 more rare arcs ... good day to have a head in the clouds.

Deborah Byrd

August 30, 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.