Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Comet Lovejoy passed near the Pleiades last night

Ever-photogenic Comet Lovejoy at its closest to the Seven Sisters, or Pleiades, star cluster. The comet's long blue ion tail stretched back past the cluster.

Deborah Byrd

January 19, 2015

Milky Way over Todd Lake Basin, Oregon

Here in the midst of our northern winter, a beautiful shot of the summer Milky Way.

Deborah Byrd

January 18, 2015

Trees are poems

A lone tree on the stark slope of a granite dome in Yosemite National Park.

Deborah Byrd

January 16, 2015

Two planets beyond Pluto?

New calculations by astronomers in Spain and the UK suggest that not one, but two unknown planets might exist in our solar system, beyond Pluto's orbit.

Eleanor Imster

Deborah Byrd

January 15, 2015

How to see Comet Lovejoy in January 2015, plus best photos!

How to see Comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy - still visible through binoculars and telescopes. Finder charts and best photos!

Deborah Byrd

January 15, 2015

Success! Two men complete historic climb at Yosemite’s El Capitan

Two Americans have become the first to free-climb Yosemite National Park’s Dawn Wall, which has been called the hardest rock climb in the world.

Deborah Byrd

January 15, 2015

Toxic chemical scare on International Space Station on Wednesday

An alarm indicated a possible leak of toxic ammonia. Astronauts evacuated the U.S. side of the station. Later, NASA said the problem might have been a faulty sensor.

Deborah Byrd

January 14, 2015

The world’s hottest volcanos

Kilauea ranks hottest in terms of total energy. It's been erupting for decades. Meanwhile, Iceland’s Holuhraun eruption radiated the most heat for a single event.

Deborah Byrd

January 14, 2015

First notable solar flare of 2015

It was an M-class flare, and it might have produced a brief communications blackout on Monday night. But no CME - coronal mass ejection - is headed our way.

Deborah Byrd

January 13, 2015

Hurry! Mercury crater-naming contest ends January 15

Immortalize your favorite artist, composer, or writer! The competition to name five impact craters on Mercury closes on Thursday.

Deborah Byrd

January 13, 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.