Posts by 

Deborah Byrd

Virga is rain that doesn’t reach the ground

Learn what virga is and how it forms, and see great photos to help you learn how to identify it yourself! Plus, learn if radar can pick up virga.

10 tips for watching the Geminids in 2023

The Geminids make up a rich and much-loved annual meteor shower that peaks in mid-December. Here are 10 tips for watching the Geminids in 2023.

Mysterious 3200 Phaethon – parent to the Geminids – revealed?

3200 Phaethon is the weird comet-like asteroid that spawns the Geminid meteor shower. New research reveals more answers ... and questions.

When our sun dies, what will happen to Earth?

A study suggests our sun is about the lowest mass star that - when it dies - produces a visible, though faint, planetary nebula. What happens when our sun dies.

Aldebaran is Taurus the Bull’s fiery eye

Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus the Bull, is at one tip of a V-shaped cluster. If placed where our sun is, its surface would pass the orbit of Mercury.

2023’s most-illuminated quarter moon is tonight

Some quarter moons are fuller than others! The most-illuminated quarter moon of 2023 is on December 5. Learn more unique moon dates for 2024.

What moves the sailing stones of Death Valley?

At Death Valley’s Racetrack Playa, the sailing stones show signs of movement, etching trails in the dry lake bed. It was a mystery until quite recently.

How to see Earth’s shadow at sunrise and sunset

Just before sunrise and after sunset, you can spot Earth's shadow. Look west at sunrise and east at sunset. Learn more about Earth's shadow here.

Al Risha binds the Fishes of Pisces together

The star Al Risha in the constellation Pisces isn't bright. But it's at the tip of the graceful V in the constellation Pisces and it's very noticeable.

Edwin Hubble and the expanding universe

In 2018, the International Astronomical Union voted to rename Hubble's law as the Hubble–Lemaître law to share credit between Edwin Hubble and Georges Lemaître.