Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Jupiter gets its stripe back

The South Equatorial Belt on Jupiter - which faded last spring from brown to white - now appears to be regaining its color.

Deborah Byrd

November 25, 2010

Greenland’s melting glaciers with Jay Zwally

NASA glaciologist Jay Zwally talked to EarthSky about melting in a large glacier at the western edge of Greenland. Read more on Greenland's melting glaciers.

Deborah Byrd

October 18, 2010

Two asteroids to pass within moon’s distance

Two asteroids - in unrelated orbits - will pass within moon's distance on September 8. They were discovered on September 5. Neither will strike Earth, scientists say.

Deborah Byrd

September 7, 2010

Songbirds are Illegally trapped in the Mediterranean

Songbirds are being trapped in southern Europe in order to make a dish known as "ambelopoulia."

Deborah Byrd

July 25, 2010

Astronomers discover monster star

Astronomers say R136a1 is thought to be hundreds of times more massive than our sun - and 10 million times more luminous.

Deborah Byrd

July 21, 2010

Farming can become more sustainable

A report from the National Research Council, suggests that U.S. farming needs to look beyond its focus on low costs and high production.

Deborah Byrd

July 2, 2010

BP oil spill worst case scenario for sea life

Worst case scenario for the BP oil spill is yet unknown. One researcher compared the situation to "a war where the enemy shifts its points of attack daily."

Deborah Byrd

June 4, 2010

Comet caught in act of diving into sun

A comet has been caught on video as it plunges into the sun and apparently disintegrates in the sun's 100,000 degree (Kelvin) heat.

Deborah Byrd

May 25, 2010

Planet being eaten by sun-like star

The planet, WASP-12b, is similar in mass to Jupiter. It orbits its star closely - in 1.1 days - and its atmosphere is spilling over onto its star.

Deborah Byrd

May 20, 2010

Supermassive black hole ejected from distant galaxy

A supermassive black hole - with a mass of perhaps a billion suns - could be ejected from its galaxy under special conditions when two black holes merge.

Deborah Byrd

May 11, 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.