Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Illumination map highlights craters on moon in permanent shadow

Some craters near the moon's poles never see sunlight. Now 1,700 photos from the have been combined to show the moon's darkest places in the "illumination map".

Deborah Byrd

December 16, 2010

U.S. government sues BP over oil spill

The Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill spewed 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. has filed a civil suit against BP for the spill.

Deborah Byrd

December 16, 2010

Life’s building blocks in impossible place, plus a whalloping meteorite tale

Since it crashed to Earth over two years ago, an object called 2008 TC3 has fascinated scientists. Now it appears this object contains amino acids, the building blocks of life.

Deborah Byrd

December 15, 2010

How to build an International Space Station (ISS)

It's not the great double wheel of a space station that so inflamed my imagination back in 1968, with Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Yet, the ISS is a space station, and humans will live and work there.

Deborah Byrd

December 13, 2010

NASA scientist says Geminid meteor shower defies explanation

The Geminids are like the 900-pound gorilla of meteor showers. But the shower's source - a rocky body called 3200 Phaethon - is more of a 98-pound weakling, says NASA.

Deborah Byrd

December 7, 2010

Time to remember Afghan women

Malcolm Potts said Afghan women are often married at a young age to much older men. He said he believes the young men then channel their energy into war.

Deborah Byrd

December 4, 2010

Stars – and planets – possibly more plentiful

Astronomers have made a discovery suggesting that the universe might have three times as many stars - and many more planets - than previously suspected.

Deborah Byrd

December 1, 2010

Super-Earth may have water as steam or high clouds

Astronomers have found that a super-Earth exoplanet has an atmosphere that is either mostly water in the form of steam, or that is dominated by high clouds or hazes.

Deborah Byrd

December 1, 2010

Mars rover being built via live webcam

You can watch via live webcam as NASA builds the next Mars rover, whose nickname is Curiosity.

Deborah Byrd

November 30, 2010

Comet Hartley 2 stunning image gallery

Visit the NASA image gallery of Comet Hartley 2. This small comet - which was visible in our skies earlier this fall - spewed lots of dust, spinning jets and gas.

Deborah Byrd

November 27, 2010

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.