Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Success for Japan’s Akatsuki Venus probe!

Akatsuki failed to reach orbit five years ago. Now The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirms it's circling Venus.

Deborah Byrd

December 9, 2015

Strong earthquake off Indonesia’s Ambon island

USGS reports a 6.9-magnitude quake this morning - a strong earthquake - in the ocean near Indonesia's Ambon Island. Why this region is prone to strong earthquakes.

Deborah Byrd

December 9, 2015

Rare and beautiful Lowitz arc

The Lowitz arc is associated with the common 22-degree halo often seen around the sun or moon. It's rare, faint and fleeting.

Deborah Byrd

December 9, 2015

Monstrous baby galaxies in dark matter

This nest of monstrous baby galaxies, 11.5 billion light-years away, appears to reside at the junction of gigantic filaments in a web of dark matter.

Deborah Byrd

December 8, 2015

End of 2015 hurricane season

Below-normal Atlantic hurricane season, but active eastern and central Pacific season shatters records.

Deborah Byrd

Eleanor Imster

December 7, 2015

Amazing photos of moon and Venus

Throughout the day on Monday, as the hours ticked by, the moon moved closer to Venus and ultimately passed in front of it. More photos!

Deborah Byrd

December 7, 2015

Cygnus resupply mission blasts off

Commercial space station resupply launch success! The Cygnus spacecraft is at last on its way to the International Space Station, carrying vital food and supplies.

Deborah Byrd

December 7, 2015

Early Geminid fireball over Tucson

Geminids meteors are beginning to fly. The shower peaks on the night of December 13.

Deborah Byrd

December 4, 2015

Two powerful volcanos erupted this week

Europe's Mount Etna and Nicaragua's Momotombo both erupted spectacularly in this first week of December, 2015.

Deborah Byrd

December 4, 2015

LISA Pathfinder lifts off

LISA Pathfinder - forerunner of a mission that, it is hoped, will detect gravitational waves from space - lifted off at 4:04 GMT (12:04 a.m. EST) on on December 3, 2015.

Deborah Byrd

December 3, 2015

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.