Posts by

Deborah Byrd

When will 2007 OR10 get a name?

2007 OR10 is now known as the third-largest dwarf planet. It's about a third smaller than Pluto. It's the largest unnamed body in our solar system.

Deborah Byrd

May 16, 2016

Moon halo, stars, planet over Chile

Haloes around the moon happen when moonlight shines through tiny ice crystals in the upper air. Here's a moon halo, with bright stars and Jupiter nearby.

Deborah Byrd

May 16, 2016

News about mystery star KIC 8462852 aka Tabby’s Star

Alien megastructures - aka Dyson spheres - around a star 1,500 light-years away? Astronomers struggle to explain the most mysterious star in the universe.

Deborah Byrd

May 14, 2016

Old under-ice volcanoes on Mars

An oddly textured region of southern Mars is not ice-covered today. Yet landforms here - and now certain minerals - are associated with under-ice volcanoes.

Deborah Byrd

May 12, 2016

Ride along as a rocket lands

A rocketcam gives you a ringside seat on the view from space, as Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket plummets earthward for an upright landing.

Deborah Byrd

May 12, 2016

Where red Mars looks blue

Most images of Mars show colors homogenized by red dust and regolith. This infrared-red-blue color image shows Mars' bedrock ... and many colors.

Deborah Byrd

May 11, 2016

Smoke from Canada’s wildfires in clouds

Wildfires are currently burning across a large expanse of Canada. This image from the Aqua satellite shows wildfire smoke trapped in the clouds.

Deborah Byrd

May 10, 2016

Photos! May 9, 2016 transit of Mercury

Photos from the EarthSky community of the May 9, 2016, transit of Mercury across the face of the sun. Thanks to all who posted!

Deborah Byrd

May 9, 2016

Why Planet 9 shouldn’t exist

Earlier this year, scientists presented evidence for a Planet Nine in the far outer solar system. Scientists think it exists, but - if so - how did it get there?

Deborah Byrd

Eleanor Imster

May 9, 2016

Airplane crosses sun’s face

While preparing on Sunday to watch today's transit - an event Mercury crosses the face of our sun - Helio C. Vital caught an airplane doing the same.

Deborah Byrd

May 9, 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.