Posts by

Deborah Byrd

See it! Moon and Venus before dawn

Beautiful meeting of the moon and Venus before dawn today! See it here, in photos from the EarthSky community.

Deborah Byrd

September 10, 2015

Best look yet at Ceres bright spots

No confirmation yet on what the spots might be, but they’re looking more natural as the Dawn spacecraft orbits closer.

Deborah Byrd

September 9, 2015

Giant stars’ birth makes cosmic hourglass

The birth throes of high-mass stars have been shrouded in mystery. While penetrating the mystery, astronomers working in Chile discovered a vast cosmic hourglass.

Deborah Byrd

September 9, 2015

Send your name to Mars: Deadline Tuesday

Your name can ride along on a mission to Mars. It's easy, quick and free to make that happen. Details here.

Deborah Byrd

September 7, 2015

Andromeda galaxy yields star birth secrets

Are the same percentages of stars with gargantuan mass, low mass and intermediate mass born everywhere throughout space?

Deborah Byrd

September 7, 2015

Night skies over Tibet

High above sea level - and far from light pollution - Tibet offers one of the most breathtaking night skies in the world. A collection of photos by Jeff Dai.

Deborah Byrd

September 6, 2015

New Hubble image: Spiral galaxy M96

In this image, the galaxy resembles a whirlpool of glowing gas, rippled with dark dust that swirls inwards towards the galactic nucleus or core.

Deborah Byrd

September 5, 2015

Venus in daytime on August 30

Venus appears as a crescent for the same reason the moon does. It's because, at times like now, its lighted side - or day side - is facing mostly away from us.

Deborah Byrd

September 4, 2015

Comet Hitchhiker concept takes a step

A spacecraft using Comet Hitchhiker orbits and lands on multiple comets and asteroids using a harpoon and tether and the energy of motion of the small bodies themselves.

Deborah Byrd

September 3, 2015

Giant sunspot AR2403

It didn't produce any X flares, but it was spectacular to view on the sun for six days, from August 21 to 26.

Deborah Byrd

September 2, 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.