Posts by 

Deborah Byrd

Waning moon meets Zubenelgenubi morning of December 2

The waning moon meets Zubenelgenubi, a bright star in the contellation Libra the Scales, on the morning of December 2, 2021. A pretty scene before sunup!

Surtsey, volcanic island, emerged in 1963

On November 14, 1963, volcanic island Surtsey rose from the sea. Scientists have since studied the natural colonization of plants and animals on it.

Permafrost thaw in the Arctic, in the next 30 years

Permafrost thaw in the Arctic is as one of the most immediate problems of global warming. A new assessment of communities at risk.

Moon, Saturn, Jupiter November 9, 10 and 11

Moon, Saturn, Jupiter! The waxing crescent moon will sweep past the planets on November 9, 10 and 11, 2021. Watch for Venus, too, to the west.

Moon and Venus November 6, 7 and 8

The moon and Venus are near one another in the sky around November 6, 7 and 8, 2021. Look west after sunset for the waxing crescent near the brightest planet.

Moon and Mercury November 1, 2 and 3 before sunup

The moon and Mercury will appear near one another on the mornings of November 1, 2 and 3, 2021. Look in the sunrise direction, as dawn is breaking.

X-flare yesterday, aurora alert this weekend

The biggest solar flares are known as X-flares. Check out this image of an X-flare on the sun on October 28, 2021. It prompted an aurora alert.

A new field guide for hot Jupiters

A new field guide for hot Jupiters combines Hubble Space Telescope observations with theoretical models. It should inform ideas about planet formation.

True polar wander: A shift 84 million years ago

The fossil magnetism of rocks in Italy revealed true polar wander - a major shift in Earth's outer shell relative to its spin axis - 84 million years ago.

Earth in a tunnel? Decades-old mystery unfolds

A new astrophysical model connects local structures in our neighborhood of the Milky Way and depicts Earth in a tunnel in space.

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