Posts by

Deborah Byrd

New South Pole marker gives Pluto and Armstrong a shout out

The new South Pole marker has been moved to its correct location for 2013. A new plaque on top honors Neil Armstrong and the dwarf planet Pluto.

Deborah Byrd

January 16, 2013

Curiosity rover on Mars poised to have its drilling debut

See what the Curiosity rover sees as it's poised on the edge of a possible first drilling site on Mars. It might start drilling a few days from now.

Deborah Byrd

January 15, 2013

Video: Final footage before GRAIL moon mission crash landing

This final, breathtaking footage from the successful GRAIL moon mission was taken just six miles (10 kilometers) above the moon's surface on December 14, 2012.

Deborah Byrd

January 14, 2013

Asteroid Apophis to sweep closely past Earth on January 9, 2013

At present, there's a remote chance that Apophis will strike us in 2036. It's expected to drop to zero after the early 2013 pass of Apophis near Earth.

Deborah Byrd

January 8, 2013

Habitable zone around stars might be larger than we think

Could life survive on a world whose orbit around a distant sun was extremely oblong and eccentric? Such a world would have periods of extreme heat and cold.

Deborah Byrd

January 7, 2013

7.5-magnitude earthquake strikes southeast of Alaska

A local tsunami warning was issued and has now been withdrawn. No Pacific-wide tsunami warning. Hawaii might get strong and unusual ocean currents, but no destructive sea-level rise.

Deborah Byrd

January 5, 2013

Asteroid 2011 AG5 will not collide with Earth in 2040

An asteroid you might not have known to worry about has been given the all-clear.

Deborah Byrd

December 21, 2012

Astronomers identify stars in the Milky Way’s central bar

Our Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy. Now astronomers say they have identified some individual stars making up the bar.

Deborah Byrd

December 19, 2012

Is there a black hole in the center of our galaxy?

And if the Milky Way does have a central black hole, what's it doing there?

Deborah Byrd

December 19, 2012

GRAIL moon probes’ crash site named for astronaut Sally Ride

The two GRAIL spacecraft hit the lunar surface at planned at 4:28 CST (2228 UTC) and 4:29 CST, at a speed of 3,760 mph (1.7 kilometers per second).

Deborah Byrd

December 17, 2012

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.