Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Liquid water ocean under Pluto ice?

“That you could have vast liquid water ocean habitats so far from the sun on Pluto - and on other Kuiper belt objects as well - is absolutely incredible.”

Deborah Byrd

June 23, 2016

Midnight solstice sun and moon

Two photos from northern Sweden on solstice night, a night of a midnight sun in that part of the world ... and also, in 2016, a midnight moon.

Deborah Byrd

June 23, 2016

Edge of Tibetan Plateau from space

Great land plates shifted and came together - 55 million years ago - to create the Tibetan Plateau, the highest and largest plateau in the world today.

Deborah Byrd

June 22, 2016

Anti-crepuscular rays at solstice

Lots of people caught the sun setting in the west on the evening of this week's solstice. Fiona M. Donnelly in eastern Ontario happened to turn and look east.

Deborah Byrd

June 22, 2016

Rare footage of Bryde’s whales feeding

Captured via drone off the coast of Auckland. There are thought to be fewer than 200 of these creatures left in New Zealand waters.

Deborah Byrd

June 21, 2016

See it! Solstice full moon photos

On June 20, 2016, the moon turns full at 11:02 UTC. The solstice arrives some 11.5 hours later, at 22:34 UTC. Solstice moon photos here from the EarthSky community.

Deborah Byrd

June 21, 2016

Success! Mystery star to be monitored

Astronomers have raised $100,000 via Kickstarter to observe KIC 8462852, or Tabby’s Star, sometimes called the most mysterious star in the universe.

Deborah Byrd

June 17, 2016

Phytoplankton bloom in the North Sea

Ocean phytoplankton are too small to see individually, but a large phytoplankton bloom can be seen from space as a colored patch on the sea surface.

Deborah Byrd

June 17, 2016

Patterns in Mars’ seasonal dust storms

Dust lofted by Martian winds links directly to temperatures in Mars' atmosphere. The temps are key to finding the patterns of the storms.

Deborah Byrd

June 14, 2016

See Death Valley’s 2016 superbloom

A wonderful video from SkyGlowProject.com that'll let you experience the 2016 superbloom of wildflowers in Death Valley National Park.

Deborah Byrd

June 14, 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.