Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Venus, Jupiter and Mars trails

The morning planets rising above an observatory in Malaysia.

Deborah Byrd

November 10, 2015

Swift’s 1000th gamma-ray burst

This flash of gamma rays came at 6:41 p.m. EDT on October 27. Later, astronomers learned it had traveled toward Earth for 12 billion years.

Deborah Byrd

November 9, 2015

Saturday night’s mystery light not a UFO

People in Los Angeles and various states in the U.S. West saw the mysterious light. It was confirmed as a Naval missile test off the California coast.

Deborah Byrd

November 8, 2015

Weather disasters linked to climate change

Thirty two groups of scientists in 20 countries analyzed 28 weather disasters in 2014 - and found half of them linked to human-caused climate change.

Deborah Byrd

November 7, 2015

SETI seeks signal from mystery star

Star KIC 8462852 made headlines last month for having a possible alien megastructure. SETI team now seeking deliberate radio signal. None found yet.

Deborah Byrd

November 7, 2015

6.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Chile

Strong earthquake along coast of central Chile. Same approximate region as much more powerful quake, two months ago. No tsunami warning. No immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Deborah Byrd

November 7, 2015

Blossoming Atacama desert in Chile

Hundreds of millions of flowers bloomed in the Atacama Desert in Chile this year, linked to 2015's ongoing strong El Niño.

Deborah Byrd

November 7, 2015

Family portrait of Mars dust devils

A telescopic camera on a Mars orbiter caught these 8 dust devils in a single afternoon.

Deborah Byrd

November 6, 2015

Whoa! That’s a big galaxy cluster

The cluster's mass is a quadrillion times that of our sun - making it the most massive known cluster that far back in space and time.

Eleanor Imster

Deborah Byrd

November 4, 2015

See it! Photos of Venus-Mars conjunction

Venus is the brightest planet, and Mars is faint now. On November 3, 2015, they were closest until 2017. Watch the moon pass them later this week!

Deborah Byrd

November 4, 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.