Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Mars in 2023: Now is the last chance to see it this year

Mars is still bright, but it's destined to fade in brightness and appear for fewer hours each night. See Mars while you can! Charts for September 2023 here.

Deborah Byrd

September 1, 2023

Astronomy Essentials

Saturn at opposition – and brightest – on August 26-27

Don't miss Saturn at opposition on and around the night of August 26-27, 2023. That's when our planet Earth passes between the sun and Saturn.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

August 26, 2023

Want to find the Andromeda galaxy? Here are 2 ways

Find the Andromeda galaxy on dark, moonless skies from now until the beginning of northern spring. Here are 2 ways to find it.

Deborah Byrd

August 22, 2023

Venus to return as ‘morning star’ late August 2023

Throughout 2023, Venus was in the evening sky. People called it the "evening star." After about August 21, Venus will return as the "morning star."

Deborah Byrd

August 17, 2023

Perseid meteor photos from around the world, 2023

See these Perseid meteor photos from EarthSky community members from around the world. Thanks to all who contributed these great photos!

Deborah Byrd

August 15, 2023

Saturn’s opposition in 2023: Fun and easy things to see

In August - the month of Saturn's opposition in 2023 - here are some fun and easy things you can watch for with the eye alone. No telescope needed!

Deborah Byrd

August 15, 2023

Space

How DART deflected an asteroid (but released a boulder swarm)

Thanks to DART, we minutely deflected the asteroid from its path in the name of planetary defense. But we also released a boulder swarm.

Marcy Curran

Deborah Byrd

August 11, 2023

Favorite Star Patterns

Teapot of Sagittarius points to Milky Way center

As you gaze toward the famous Teapot asterism in the constellation Sagittarius, you're looking toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

Marcy Curran

August 11, 2023

A red rainbow happens when the sun is low

A red rainbow has a surreal beauty, but its explanation is fairly ordinary. It's created via the same physics that makes a sunset or sunrise looks red.

Deborah Byrd

August 10, 2023

Thuban was Pole Star for the ancient Egyptians

The Pole Stars change over time. Thuban was the Pole Star some 5,000 years ago, when the Egyptians were building the pyramids.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

August 9, 2023

Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she was the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. 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.