Posts by

Deborah Byrd

ISS astronaut captures photo of elusive sprite

Sometimes called red sprites, these offshoots of large-scale electrical discharges that take place high in Earth’s atmosphere, above thunderstorms.

Deborah Byrd

July 13, 2012

X-flare from giant sunspot group 1520

Giant sunspot group 1520 - which spans about 10 Earth diameters on the sun's surface - emitted an X-flare on July 12 at 1653 UTC.

Deborah Byrd

July 12, 2012

Wildfire smoke meets thunderstorm

Photos shows the wildfire smoke sucked into an area of strong convection at the center of the thunderstorm, at speeds that can reach 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour.

Deborah Byrd

July 11, 2012

Wildfires in Russia continuing

Significant amounts of smoke from the wildfires in Russia and Siberia arrived in British Columbia in Canada this week, according to CBC News.

Deborah Byrd

July 10, 2012

Cassini finds a south pole vortex at Titan

A Cassini images shows a swirling mass appears to execute one full rotation in about nine hours - much faster than Titan's 16-day rotation period.

Deborah Byrd

July 10, 2012

Population strategies to stop short of 9 billion

The Worldwatch Institute has released the following 9 strategies for stopping short of reaching a human population of 9 billion by 2050.

Deborah Byrd

July 10, 2012

New boson: what’s so cool about it? Try this video

This video from MinutePhysics might shed light for you on this week's announcement of a new boson, possibly the Higgs boson.

Deborah Byrd

July 7, 2012

Scientists have learned what keeps us anxious

Scientists in Germany have learned how our brains keep us from letting go of anxiety after a trauma.

Deborah Byrd

July 7, 2012

X-flare from active region 1515 on sun

After releasing a barrage of M-class flares over the past few days, sunspot 1515 released an X-flare on July 6. Its effects might deliver a glancing blow to Earth on July 8 or 9.

Deborah Byrd

July 7, 2012

Burn scar from fire in Colorado Springs

The fire is 90% contained, but 776 firefighters are still there, on patrol or waiting to be reassigned. The burn scar is visible from space.

Deborah Byrd

July 6, 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.