Posts by

Deborah Byrd

This date in science: Happy birthday, Harrison Schmitt

Born July 3, 1935, Harrison "Jack" Schmitt is the only trained scientist to have walked on the moon, so far.

Elizabeth Howell

Deborah Byrd

July 3, 2013

Moon in the country of midnight sun

This looks like any ordinary photo of a twilight sky, doesn't it? Yes, until you realize what time the photo was taken. It was July 1, 2013 at 1:16 a.m.

Deborah Byrd

July 3, 2013

Russian rocket explodes on liftoff from Kazakhstan desert

There were no immediate reports of casualties when a Russian Proton-M heavy lift rocket exploded on liftoff earlier today.

Deborah Byrd

July 2, 2013

When Saturn eclipses the sun

In 2006, the Cassini spacecraft saw Saturn eclipse the sun. These eclipses are rare, but another is due to happen on July 19, 2013.

Deborah Byrd

July 2, 2013

100,000 may need to evacuate due to floods in Alberta, Canada

Water levels are expected to reach their maximum around noon today in floods in Alberta, Canada, which have left 12 communities under a state of emergency.

Deborah Byrd

June 21, 2013

The fast winds of Venus are getting faster

Since the 1960s, we've known the winds of Venus "super-rotate," or blow faster than the planet rotates. Now a spacecraft has found Venus' winds are speeding up.

Deborah Byrd

June 18, 2013

Got something to say to an alien? Lone Signal can beam your message

Their new website launched today, so you can be among the first to compose a message to a distant civilization.

Deborah Byrd

June 18, 2013

Fog on summit day at Mount Hood

An early ascent to the summit of Mount Hood on June 1, 2013. Fog blocked the view, but set the stage for a beautiful photo.

Deborah Byrd

June 15, 2013

This date in science: The man who designed the Brooklyn Bridge

John A. Roebling, whose birthday is today, designed the Brooklyn Bridge. But he never saw the bridge come to completion.

Elizabeth Howell

Deborah Byrd

June 12, 2013

Mammatus clouds over Half Dome

Rounded mammatus clouds mirroring the rock structure of Half Dome, at a beautiful Yosemite Valley sunset earlier this month.

Deborah Byrd

June 12, 2013

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.