Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Images and video of asteroid 1998 QE2 flyby

No danger ... and yet this asteroid captured the attention of astronomers worldwide.

Deborah Byrd

June 1, 2013

Watch or participate in asteroid 1998 QE2 flyby today

Asteroid 1998 QE2 will pass about 15 times the moon's distance. Several organizations are looking at it, and you can join the fun.

Deborah Byrd

May 31, 2013

Planetary trio has ended. Where do the planets go next?

Jupiter, Venus and Mercury are no longer within a 5-degree circle. But you can still see all three in the west after sunset for a few more days.

Deborah Byrd

Bruce McClure

May 30, 2013

As Earth warms, Arctic is warming fastest

The Arctic has been warming about twice as fast as the rest of the globe. A new map from NASA illustrates this uneven warming.

Deborah Byrd

May 29, 2013

This date in science: First space shuttle docking with ISS

On May 29, 1999, the Discovery space shuttle became the first to dock with ISS. But the first image of a shuttle docked with ISS took 12 more years.

Elizabeth Howell

Deborah Byrd

May 29, 2013

May 18 view from space of Pavlof Volcano

Situated in the Aleutian Arc about 1,000 kilometers southwest of Anchorage, Pavlof Volcano began erupting on May 13, 2013.

Deborah Byrd

May 28, 2013

Video: How does toothpaste make orange juice taste bad?

Be prepared to amaze your friends at breakfast when you explain why orange juice and toothpaste together taste so weird.

Deborah Byrd

May 27, 2013

A beautiful planetary trio on May 26

Jupiter (left), Venus (bottom) and Mercury on May 26, 2013, the closest three planets appear in Earth's sky until 2021.

Deborah Byrd

May 27, 2013

Closest three planets until 2021

This photo from Mike O'Neal in Oklahoma shows Jupiter, Venus and Mercury on May 25, 2013, one day before they are closest on May 26.

Deborah Byrd

May 26, 2013

8.3-magnitude earthquake in Sea of Okhotsk, in Russia’s Far East

Emergency agencies in the Far East issued a tsunami warning for Sakhalin and the Kuril islands, but lifted it soon afterwards.

Deborah Byrd

May 24, 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.