Posts by

Deborah Byrd

US military retrieval of Chinese balloon

The military used underwater drones, warships and inflatable vessels to retrieve all pieces of the Chinese balloon shot down in early February, 2023.

Deborah Byrd

February 8, 2023

Smallest main-belt asteroid yet, for Webb

The Webb space telescope has detected a new 100-200-meter asteroid. It's roughly the size of Rome’s Colosseum and is Webb's smallest main-belt asteroid yet.

Deborah Byrd

February 7, 2023

Comets and asteroids: What’s the difference?

Comets and asteroids both orbit our sun, but usually reside in different parts of our solar system. And except for a few, they're different materials.

Eleanor Imster

Deborah Byrd

January 31, 2023

Photos of Venus-Saturn conjunction, January 2023

Photos of Venus-Saturn conjunction, via the EarthSky community, on and around January 22, 2023. Plus the young moon joined the show. Beautiful!

Deborah Byrd

January 23, 2023

Astronomers find 8 new super-hot stars

An international team of astronomers - using a telescope in South Africa - have discovered 8 new super-hot stars that shed light on how stars evolve.

Deborah Byrd

January 11, 2023

Many mammals headed for extinction, study says

A new study focuses on mammals headed for extinction. It shows that human activities push animals into poor-quality environments, where they often do poorly.

Deborah Byrd

January 10, 2023

A large volcanic outburst on Jupiter’s moon Io

An astronomer used a remotely operated telescope to monitor Io's volcanoes. In fall 2022, he saw a large volcanic outburst - the largest yet!

Deborah Byrd

January 4, 2023

Isaac Newton born today in 1643

Isaac Newton, born on January 4, 1643, discovered the laws of motion and other principles that laid the foundation of physics and astronomy.

Deborah Byrd

EarthSky Voices

January 4, 2023

How plants control their ‘mouths’

Scientists have learned from new research how plants control their 'mouths.' That is, they've learned the mechanism that lets plants breathe in carbon dioxide.

Deborah Byrd

December 15, 2022

Splashdown! Artemis 1 Orion returns from its trip around the moon

The uncrewed Orion moonship has traveled around the moon and returned safely to Earth. The Artemis 1 splashdown was in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2022.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

Dave Adalian

Deborah Byrd

December 11, 2022

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.