Posts by

Deborah Byrd

A young galaxy in the local universe?

The nearby dwarf galaxy DDO 68 - only 39 million light-years away - looks young. But its nearness to us in space suggests it's not as young as it looks.

Deborah Byrd

September 27, 2014

Why is Antarctic sea ice increasing as Arctic sea ice declines?

Arctic sea ice continued its long-term decline in 2014. Meanwhile, sea ice on the other side of the planet was headed in the opposite direction. Why?

Deborah Byrd

September 27, 2014

Young moon returns to the evening sky

Moon was rising and setting with the sun in the past few days. Now it's far enough from the sun's glare to be visible in the evening sky, shortly after sunset.

Deborah Byrd

September 26, 2014

Mars MAVEN spacecraft’s first observations

MAVEN is the first spacecraft dedicated to exploring the tenuous upper atmosphere of Mars. It entered orbit around Mars on September 21, 2014.

Deborah Byrd

September 24, 2014

Water vapor in atmosphere of exoplanet four times Earth’s size

The exoplanet HAT P-11b - about Neptune's size - has an atmosphere that's cloudless at high altitudes. That's how astronomers could identify water vapor there.

Deborah Byrd

September 24, 2014

Sun kissed

A beautiful photo to honor the sun at the equinox.

Deborah Byrd

September 23, 2014

Time-lapse video of Meadow Fire in Yosemite

The Meadow fire in Yosemite National Park is still burning, but nearly 100 percent contained now. This video by QT Luong shows the beauty and terror of wildfire.

Deborah Byrd

September 22, 2014

Comet C/2012 K1 (PANSTARRS) on September 19

This beautiful comet may be visible with the eye alone around mid-October, but it'll remain much easier to detect using binoculars or a telescope.

Deborah Byrd

September 21, 2014

Space-based particle detector hints at dark matter

A new and tantalizing hint of mysterious dark matter has been found by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer particle detector aboard the International Space Station.

Deborah Byrd

September 19, 2014

Dawn spacecraft to Ceres recovers after malfunctions

A collision with a high-energy radiation particle may have corrupted software running in Dawn's main computer, and sent the spacecraft into safe mode.

Deborah Byrd

September 18, 2014

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.