Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Passing stars warp star disks, disrupt planets

Passing stars or gas clouds - or other factors - can cause a warp in star disks, leading to a disruption in planet formation.

Deborah Byrd

February 8, 2022

See it! Last night’s moon and Jupiter photos

Enjoy these moon and Jupiter photos, especially since bright Jupiter itself - in our sky for most of 2021 and early 2022 - is heading into the sun's glare.

Deborah Byrd

February 3, 2022

Moon and Jupiter on February 2. Farewell, giant planet!

The moon and Jupiter are low in the twilight on the evening of Feb. 2, 2022. After this, Jupiter will slip into the sun's glare and be gone by late February.

John Jardine Goss

Deborah Byrd

February 2, 2022

Megaflash! 2 new world records for lightning

The WMO said on February 1, 2022, that it has verified 2 new world records for lightning. To describe it, they're using the word "megaflash."

Deborah Byrd

February 1, 2022

1,000 mysterious strands revealed at the Milky Way’s heart

Something new under the sun ... under billions of suns! Scientists are probing the nature of 1,000 mysterious strands found at our Milky Way's heart.

Deborah Byrd

January 30, 2022

Moon, Mars and Venus, morning of January 29

See the moon with Mars and Venus on the morning of January 29, when the trio form a line near the southeastern horizon before sunrise.

Deborah Byrd

January 28, 2022

ALMA radio telescope dishes reflected in rainwater

A glorious image of the ALMA radio telescope in northern Chile, taken after a rare rainstorm. The telescope never looked prettier!

Deborah Byrd

January 27, 2022

Bird ranges shifting northward: Audubon study

A new study from the National Audubon Society uses 90 years of Christmas Bird Count data. It shows bird ranges shifting northward.

Deborah Byrd

January 27, 2022

New video: The 1843 Great Eruption of Eta Carinae

In 1843, the star Eta Carinae briefly became the one of the brightest stars in the sky. Then it faded. Astronomers call it the star's Great Eruption.

Deborah Byrd

January 26, 2022

Sweden went 1st in banning aerosol sprays on January 23, 1978

Sweden 1st to ban aerosol sprays on this date in 1978. They were propelled by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which harmed Earth's ozone layer.

Deborah Byrd

David Portree

January 23, 2022

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.