Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Bridenstine to step down as NASA administrator

Jim Bridenstine is leaving the post of NASA chief administrator.

Deborah Byrd

November 12, 2020

Boom! Bam! Boom! How to make a triple crater on Mars

Like many worlds in our solar system, Mars has prominent impact craters. A particularly unusual example is shown in this new image from ESA’s Mars Express: an ancient triplet composed of 3 overlapping craters.

Deborah Byrd

November 11, 2020

The sun is becoming active again

EarthSky community members have captured the giant sunspot region - AR 2781 - currently making its way across the sun's visible surface.

Deborah Byrd

November 7, 2020

Astronomers release a black hole family portrait

"Black hole family portrait" is a fancy way of saying "new catalog." But it's a very important and exciting catalog, released October 28, 2020, by gravitational wave astronomers, containing 39 new signals from black hole or neutron star collisions.

Deborah Byrd

November 1, 2020

How to watch Taurid meteors in 2020

Although a modest shower, perhaps offering 5 meteors per hour, the Taurid shower lasts over a month and is known for producing dramatic fireballs, or exceptionally bright meteors.

Deborah Byrd

November 1, 2020

Owl in front of the moon, with Mars above

An owl, a nearly full moon and a shining planet Mars. What more could you ask for Halloween 2020?

Deborah Byrd

November 1, 2020

The magnetic fields of a jellyfish galaxy

New work reveals the intricate relationship between so-called jellyfish galaxies, and the magnetic environment through which they move.

Deborah Byrd

October 28, 2020

Watch for Earth’s shadow and the Belt of Venus

Look east after sunset - or west before sunrise - for Earth's shadow. It's a deep blue-grey band, curved as Earth is curved, moving opposite the sun. The Belt of Venus is the subtle pink band above the shadow.

Deborah Byrd

October 27, 2020

Photos of fiery Mars, at its best in 2020

Photos from the EarthSky community of the bright planet Mars, at its best. Earth passed between Mars and the sun - bringing the planet to a once-in-two-years opposition - on October 13, 2020.

Deborah Byrd

Claudia Crowley

October 13, 2020

Astronomers see a star ‘spaghettified’ by a black hole

Astronomers have spotted a rare blast of light from a star being ripped apart by a supermassive black hole. The phenomenon - known as a tidal disruption event - is the closest such flare recorded to date at just over 215 million light-years from Earth.

Deborah Byrd

October 13, 2020

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.