Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Largest known black hole could swallow our solar system

The largest of the nearby galaxies, M87, now has the largest known black hole. It contains 6.6 billion times the mass of our sun and could swallow our solar system whole.

Deborah Byrd

January 14, 2011

Super-massive black holes began growing when universe was very young

The most massive black holes began growing at a very fast rate when the universe was only about 1.2 billion years old, according to a new study by astronomers in Tel Aviv.

Deborah Byrd

January 13, 2011

See the night sky in biggest-ever image

A new image from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey consists of 1.2 trillion pixels and covers a third of the night sky. It captures half a billion individual stars and galaxies.

Deborah Byrd

January 11, 2011

Hubble Space Telescope finds star formation in crazy green cloud in space

Here's the latest Hubble Space Telescope on the green cloud of gas known as Hanny’s Voorwerp. The cloud now appears to be lit up by the bright light of a nearby quasar, and shows signs of ongoing star formation.

Deborah Byrd

January 10, 2011

1st solar eclipse of 2011 in photos

An amazing collection of images of the partial solar eclipse of Jan. 4, 2011 can be found at The Big Picture. The eclipse was seen in Earth's eastern hemisphere.

Deborah Byrd

January 6, 2011

Swollen rivers in Queensland carry sediments to Australian coast

Swollen rivers in Queensland, Australia are carrying heavy sediment loads to the coast. This natural-color image was captured yesterday by instrumentation aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite.

Deborah Byrd

January 6, 2011

Sure, robots can juggle now. But not all that well.

A video of robot juggling, made at the University of Washington Movement Control Laboratory. Robots can juggle, can you? Watch the video.

Deborah Byrd

January 5, 2011

Star with zirconium clouds discovered

Astronomers have found a star rich in zirconium, the material used to make a substitute for diamonds. The star is called LS IV-14 116. It is 2,000 light years from Earth.

Deborah Byrd

January 5, 2011

Supernova discovered by 10-year old

A 10-year-old girl, Kathryn Aurora Gray, has discovered a supernova. Girls rule!

Deborah Byrd

January 4, 2011

How do spiral galaxies keep their shape?

Astronomers think they've discovered why a galaxy's spiral arms wind up tightly around the galaxy's core as the system rotates. Read more on spiral galaxies.

Deborah Byrd

January 4, 2011

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.