Posts by

Deborah Byrd

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

Japan’s Sakurajima volcano erupts, prompts alert

Japan's Sakurajima volcano erupted at about 8:05 p.m. local time today (11:05 UTC; 6:05 a.m. CDT on Sunday, July 24, 2022). So far, 51 people have evacuated.

Deborah Byrd

July 24, 2022

Floating in Heaven: Rock’s tribute to Webb’s new images

Floating in Heaven - a new music video featuring Brian May - commemorates the July 12, 2022, unveiling of Webb’s first images.

Deborah Byrd

July 12, 2022

1st Webb image: Farther, deeper, older light

Sneak peak of 1st Webb image! It shows a part of the universe more distant than anything seen before, captured in just 12.5 hours.

Deborah Byrd

July 11, 2022

Whoosh! Speedy star orbits Milky Way black hole

Newly discovered speedy star S4716 is the fastest-known star orbiting our Milky Way's central black hole, which is called Sagittarius A*.

Deborah Byrd

July 10, 2022

U.S. heat dome expands west to sizzle cities

In early July 2022, a heat dome is settling over the U.S. Midwest and Plains, setting records for heat. It'll be a brutal summer for parts of North America.

Deborah Byrd

July 7, 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.