Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Voyager 2 launched 45 years ago

Voyager 2 realized the vision of what was originally called a Grand Tour of the outer solar system. It is the only craft that has visited all 4 outer planets.

Deborah Byrd

Elizabeth Howell

August 20, 2022

Sudden downpour in Paris floods metro stations

Paris floods inundated some metro stations on Tuesday evening, August 16. A sudden, torrential rain struck the city just as commuters were leaving work.

Deborah Byrd

August 17, 2022

Freya the walrus killed, social media erupts

Freya, a young female walrus, had been lounging in the sun in an Oslo, Norway fjord for weeks. But, on August 14, Norway's fisheries directorate killed her.

Deborah Byrd

August 15, 2022

Antarctic sea ice for July 2022 lowest on record

Antarctic sea ice for July 2022 was lowest in the 44-year satellite record. Arctic sea ice extent for July 2022 was 12th-lowest on record.

Deborah Byrd

August 10, 2022

Raining fish and frogs … for real

Click here to read many recent, documented accounts of raining fish and frogs. Yes, it's a real thing! Discover the causes here.

Don Machholz

Deborah Byrd

Marcy Curran

August 7, 2022

Visualize the Perseid meteor stream in space

This visualization by Ian Webster and Peter Jenniskens uses NASA data to render the Perseid meteor stream in space. Don't miss this!

Deborah Byrd

Don Machholz

August 1, 2022

Observer’s challenge: Moon points to Mercury August 1, 2 and 3

A night sky challenge for the Northern Hemisphere: The waxing crescent moon points to Mercury on August 1, 2 and 3, 2022.

Deborah Byrd

July 31, 2022

Freya the walrus is having the summer we all want

Freya the walrus has been relaxing in Norway since mid-July 2022 and has made a splash on social media.

Deborah Byrd

July 26, 2022

Summer meteors 2022: Moon-free in late July and early August

Summer meteors 2022: full moon falls at the peak of the Perseids. Try watching for meteors in late July and early August.

Deborah Byrd

July 26, 2022

Moon near Venus on July 25 and 26 mornings

Watch for the waning crescent moon near Venus on the mornings of July 25 and 26, 2022. Beautiful! Red Aldebaran and the Pleiades show up, too.

Deborah Byrd

July 24, 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.