Posts by 

Deborah Byrd

Coathanger cluster: This star pattern looks like its name

The Coathanger cluster resembles its namesake and is easy to spot with binoculars, using the star Albireo - part of the Summer Triangle - to find it.

Hurricane Beryl regaining strength, heading to Texas

Tropical storm Beryl - predicted to become Hurricane Beryl before it makes landfall - is now in the Gulf of Mexico, heading toward the Texas coastline.

Earth farthest from sun – or aphelion – on July 5

Earth farthest from sun ... aka aphelion! It happened on July 5. That's despite the fact that it's summer now in the Northern Hemisphere.

Chinese rocket accidentally blasts off, then crashes

A Chinese rocket was undergoing a static fire test on Sunday, June 30, 2024, when it suddenly broke free of its hold-down clamps and launched.

Jupiter coming to June’s morning sky, opposition in December

Giant Jupiter is closest to Earth for 2024 on December 6. Then Earth will fly between the sun and Jupiter - bringing Jupiter to opposition - on December 7.

Mars in 2024: Find it in the morning sky

Mars is ascending higher in the morning sky each month. Mars will be visible before dawn for the rest of 2024. Then, by the year's end, it'll suddenly become brighter!

Asteroid Bennu sample suggests an ocean world origin

Analysis of the asteroid Bennu sample delivered to Earth by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission shows a type of rock mirroring that found at Earthly mid-ocean ridges.

The End of Everything, LIVE, with Katie Mack

Join EarthSky's Deborah Byrd and theoretical cosmologist Katie Mack at 17:15 UTC (12:15 p.m. Central) on Monday, June 24, as they discuss the end of everything!

Meet an omega sunset and sunrise

An omega sunset or sunrise is an inferior mirage. It's produced by a layer of warmer and less dense air close to an ocean surface.

Summer Triangle: Star pattern of the season

On June and July evenings, you’ll find the Summer Triangle in the east at nightfall. It swings high overhead after midnight and sits in the west at daybreak.