Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Are solar storms dangerous to us on Earth?

Activity on the sun affects Earth's magnetic field. It can cause geomagnetic storms and can create beautiful auroras. Are these solar storms dangerous?

Deborah Byrd

March 18, 2024

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to cut 8% of workforce this week

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory - for decades a leader in robotic exploration of the planets in our solar system - will cut 8% of its workforce this week.

Deborah Byrd

February 7, 2024

Catch a glimpse of Monoceros the Unicorn in the Milky Way

Inside a triangle of 3 bright stars - and hidden within the glitter of the Milky Way - you'll find the constellation of Monoceros the Unicorn.

Deborah Byrd

January 31, 2024

Would-be Peregrine lunar lander has come home

Peregrine was meant to be the 1st commercial lunar lander. Then controllers noticed a fuel leak. Yesterday, the spacecraft came home, making a fiery Earth reentry.

Dave Adalian

Deborah Byrd

Kelly Kizer Whitt

January 19, 2024

See Eridanus the River in the January sky

Can you find the long, meandering river of stars called Eridanus in your sky? Seeing Eridanus can give you a kinship with stargazers from centuries ago.

Deborah Byrd

January 17, 2024

Houses burning in Grindavík as Iceland volcano erupts

The fishing town of Grindavík in southwest Iceland is being evacuated after lava from an Iceland volcano entered the town Sunday morning, destroying homes.

Deborah Byrd

January 14, 2024

OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample container finally unstuck

After months of effort, NASA has finally removed two stubborn fasteners that prevented access to the asteroid sample from Bennu.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

Deborah Byrd

Dave Adalian

January 13, 2024

Farthest fast radio burst, in a weird place

The most distant known fast radio burst flashed from an unlikely place: a collection of galaxies that existed when the universe was only 5 billion years old.

Deborah Byrd

January 12, 2024

What is a penumbral eclipse of the moon?

There are 3 kinds of lunar eclipses: total, partial and penumbral. A penumbral eclipse is very subtle. You can notice a shading on the moon's face.

Deborah Byrd

January 1, 2024

Mighty earthquake rocks Japan. Coastal areas evacuated

Mighty earthquake rocks Japan! The earthquake measured magnitude 7.5 according to USGS. It struck Japan on Monday afternoon, local time, prompting strong tsunami warnings.

Deborah Byrd

January 1, 2024

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.