Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Kepler-452b is older, bigger Earth cousin

The Kepler mission has confirmed the first near-Earth-size planet in the habitable zone - or zone where liquid water can exist - around a sunlike star.

Deborah Byrd

July 23, 2015

What black holes like to eat

Astronomers have caught a monster black hole in the act of eating a star. But, they say, stars are not standard fare for black holes.

Deborah Byrd

July 23, 2015

Double red rainbow over New Mexico

It's rare to see a red rainbow. Sky conditions have to be just right, and the timing has to be right. If you do see one, you'll never forget it.

Deborah Byrd

July 23, 2015

Lightning over Jenne Farm in Vermont

This farm in Vermont has made an appearance on posters, notecards, calendars, magazine covers, and in movies such as Forrest Gump.

Deborah Byrd

July 22, 2015

Earth elements dictate whether plate tectonics can happen

And plate tectonics may be essential for life. A new theory of Earth's composition suggests another factor to consider in the search for habitable exoplanets.

Deborah Byrd

July 21, 2015

Unprecedented $100 million to SETI

Breakthrough Listen initiative, announced Monday, will scan the nearest million stars, plus stars in 100 other galaxies, for signs of an advanced civilization.

Deborah Byrd

July 20, 2015

When Earth’s continents rose above its oceans

Earth's thick continental crust - the land under our feet - may have risen from the oceans half a billion years earlier than scientists previously thought.

Tom Edathikunnel

Deborah Byrd

July 19, 2015

Mountain with a moat on Charon

Latest image release from New Horizons team shows Pluto's moon Charon a strange mountain rising out of a depression. They're calling it a “mountain in a moat.”

Deborah Byrd

July 19, 2015

See it! Moon, Venus, Jupiter, comet

What a glorious western twilight sky on the nights of July 17 and 18, 2015! Waxing moon, brightest planets, and Comet C/2014 Q1 (PANSTARRS).

Deborah Byrd

July 19, 2015

Surprising frozen plains in Pluto’s heart

The latest data from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft reveals a vast, craterless plain apparently no more than 100 million years old.

Deborah Byrd

July 17, 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.