Posts by

Deborah Byrd

The moon and the Scorpion July 19 to 21

Watch for the moon and the Scorpion - aka Scorpius - on July 19, 20 and 21, 2021. The moon will be closest to Antares, Heart of the Scorpion, on July 19.

Deborah Byrd

July 19, 2021

Ride along with Juno past Ganymede and Jupiter

Ride along with Juno, as the spacecraft sweeps past Jupiter and its largest moon Ganymede. Gorgeous video from Juno, which has orbited Jupiter since 2016.

Deborah Byrd

July 18, 2021

Space

Most-massive white dwarf living on the edge

The most-massive white dwarf now known is ZTF J1901+1458. It's thought to have formed when 2 less massive white dwarfs merged. It has 1.3 times our sun's mass.

Deborah Byrd

July 5, 2021

What causes a highway mirage?

A highway mirage is most often seen in summer, when the roadway ahead of you might be much hotter than the air above. Here's what causes it.

Deborah Byrd

July 3, 2021

Polaris and Thuban via the Big Dipper in July

Polaris and Thuban have this in common: both reside, or have resided, at the apex of Earth's sky. That is, both are famous pole stars.

Deborah Byrd

June 30, 2021

US intelligence report: 140 unexplained UFOs, no aliens

A newly released U.S. intelligence report cannot "confirm or deny" that the unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs, sighted by Navy pilots are due to alien visitors.

Deborah Byrd

June 27, 2021

Heat grips Pacific Northwest

Meteorologists issue warnings, watches and advisories as extreme heat grips Pacific Northwest this weekend, into next week. Triple-digit highs expected.

Deborah Byrd

June 26, 2021

Solar array upgrade planned for 3rd ISS spacewalk June 25

A June 25 spacewalk will help give the International Space Station a solar array upgrade, a 20 to 30% power boost aimed at another decade of science operations.

Lia De La Cruz

Deborah Byrd

June 24, 2021

Earth

Taupo supervolcano needs monitoring, scientists say

Earth's most recent supervolcano is the Taupo supervolcano, from 25,000 years ago. It experienced unrest in 2019. Scientists want to know more.

Kelly Kizer Whitt

Deborah Byrd

June 22, 2021

Analemma shows the sun’s path over a year

An analemma is a figure-8 curve showing the position of the sun at a chosen time of day (often, noon) over a year. Here's one on the side of a house.

Deborah Byrd

June 22, 2021

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.