Posts by 

Deborah Byrd

See it! Best photos of 2014’s Geminid meteor shower

Many commented that the 2014 Geminid meteor shower was the best meteor shower they'd seen in awhile. Thank you to all who posted photos!

Rosetta’s comet fuels debate on origin of Earth’s oceans

There's three times the concentration of deuterium-enriched water (heavy water) in the vapor from Rosetta's comet as in the water on Earth.

Buckyballs in space born in molecular striptease?

Oo la la! Big organic compounds called PAHs may "strip" to create buckyballs in space.

Mars’ Mount Sharp built of lake sediments?

The Curiosity rover on Mars is exploring the base of Mount Sharp, within the Gale Crater. Did the crater hold a series of lakes? Did lake sediments create the mountain?

The father, the son and the moon

Silhouette of statue in Sweden, under a waning moon, by a master sky photographer.

Asteroid 2014 UR116 is no threat to Earth

Calculations by NASA and Harvard say the closest the asteroid will get to Earth is about 2.7 million miles - over 10 times the moon's distance - in April 2047.

Iridium flare over Georgia

Iridium flares come from iridium communications satellites. They happen when an antenna from one of these satellites reflects sunlight directly down at Earth.

Tunnel View in Yosemite National Park, at night

Toby Harriman Photography captured this magnificent photo in November 2014, at Yosemite National Park in California.

Why scientists want to find a pulsar orbiting a black hole

Discovering a pulsar orbiting a black hole is considered 'an authentic holy grail’ for testing Einstein's theory of gravity.

Venus, west after sunset

Venus isn’t easy to see now in the sunset direction, shortly after the sun goes down. But keep watching! One evening soon, you’ll spot it.