Posts by

Deborah Byrd

A geomagnetic storm is caused by activity on the sun

A geomagnetic storm is a disturbance in Earth's magnetic field, caused by activity on the sun. The current solar cycle number 25 has triggered a few of them.

Deborah Byrd

April 19, 2023

Bizarre star bridge links galaxy to runaway black hole

Scientists have identified a 200,000-light-years-long trail of young blue stars - a star bridge - linking a runaway black hole and the galaxy it's escaping.

Deborah Byrd

April 7, 2023

Asteroid 2023 EY to sweep closer than moon tonight

On March 17, 2023, near-Earth asteroid 2023 EY will sweep closely past Earth, coming within about 62% of the moon's distance. You can watch it live here!

Deborah Byrd

March 16, 2023

New NASA moon suit makes its debut

Working with the Houston-based company Axiom Space, NASA unveiled a prototype of the new NASA moon suit on March 15, 2023.

Deborah Byrd

March 16, 2023

What is a sun pillar, or light pillar? They’re beautiful!

A sun pillar, or light pillar, is a shaft of light from the sun or other bright light source, caused by ice crystals under the right atmospheric conditions.

Deborah Byrd

March 15, 2023

Tau Boötis’ pole flip was 15 years ago

On March 13, 2008, astronomers published the first study showing Tau Boötis experienced a pole flip. That's something we had previously only seen on the sun.

Deborah Byrd

March 12, 2023

Sunrays on Mars, captured by Curiosity

NASA's Curiosity rover has captured our 1st clear image of crepuscular rays or sunrays on Mars. The rover also caught cloud iridescence on Mars.

Deborah Byrd

March 8, 2023

Antarctic ice on the run, with a 45-year low

Antarctic ice is melting. This February, it's at its lowest extent in the 45-year satellite record. Also, a long-term melt study suggests a surprising speed-up.

Deborah Byrd

March 1, 2023

Chinese balloon in high-res, from above, via a U2 pilot

A top-down view of the Chinese balloon that caused an uproar as it drifted over the U.S. in early February 2023, as seen from a US Air Force plane.

Deborah Byrd

February 24, 2023

Hare and Dove at Orion the Hunter’s feet

If you have a dark sky, you can see constellations representing a Hare and Dove. They're 2 faint constellations near easy-to-find Orion.

Deborah Byrd

February 16, 2023

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.