Posts by 

Deborah Byrd

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.