Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Does Earth create dark matter hairs?

Theoretical calculations by a JPL astronomer suggest that streams of dark matter - passing through Earth - would emerge as ultra-dense filaments or "hairs."

Deborah Byrd

November 27, 2015

Winter begins in Wisconsin

Winter is coming to northerly latitudes ... A beautiful look at an early snowfall.

Deborah Byrd

November 27, 2015

Morning planets over Aegean Sea

The planets are still striking before dawn in late November, 2015.

Deborah Byrd

November 26, 2015

Is it true that Jupiter protects Earth?

Jupiter's gravity slings long-period comets out of harm's way, while nudging some asteroids closer to Earth. And, in 1770, Jupiter took aim on Earth - but missed.

Deborah Byrd

November 25, 2015

Circumhorizontal arc over Argentina

Don't call them "fire rainbows," experts say. They're not rainbows. And they originate with ice, not fire.

Deborah Byrd

November 25, 2015

Blue Origin soft-lands a rocket!

And Jeff Bezos, which founded the private spaceflight company, sends his first-ever tweet. Congratulations, Blue Origin!

Deborah Byrd

November 24, 2015

Weather-related natural disasters are up

With COP21 poised to begin in Paris, a new UN report suggests that weather-related disasters were nearly twice as frequent over the past decade as two decades ago.

Deborah Byrd

November 23, 2015

The Cheshire Cat group of galaxies

A lot of dark matter lies between us and these distant galaxies. Light distortion from gravitational lensing creates the "cat."

Deborah Byrd

November 23, 2015

Day on Pluto, day on Charon

Best currently available images of Pluto and Charon - taken during New Horizons' flyby - combined to create a view of a full rotation of each of these worlds.

Deborah Byrd

November 23, 2015

Measurements of the velocities of just six stars in a galaxy of only 1,000 visible stars suggest the highest concentration of dark matter of any known galaxy. Holy grail? Or is there another explanation?

Deborah Byrd

November 22, 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.