Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Smoke-covered California, from space

The 2 largest fires this week both began with lightning strikes.

Deborah Byrd

August 26, 2020

Ophiuchus is part of the zodiac, too

Poor Ophiuchus. Nobody ever claims him as a "birth sign," although the sun moves in front of his stars from about November 30 to December 18. Keep the big guy company. Find Ophiuchus in your sky tonight!

Deborah Byrd

August 26, 2020

Magnetic rivers feed star birth

Astronomers have learned that the pull of gravity can sometimes overcome the strong magnetic fields found in great star-forming clouds in space. The resulting weakly magnetized gas flow can feed the growth of new stars.

Deborah Byrd

August 24, 2020

Looking edgewise into the Milky Way

These stunning photos - taken by the talented photographers in our own EarthSky community - are from earlier this month, when the moon was less bright in the evening sky. See the Milky Way - the edgewise view into our own galaxy - plus Jupiter, Saturn and meteors here!

Deborah Byrd

August 24, 2020

Wildfire sunsets and sunrises

The western half of North America is getting some spectacular sunrises and sunsets now, as wildfires rage. Photos here from the EarthSky Community.

Deborah Byrd

August 23, 2020

Hayabusa2 re-entry capsule approved to land in Australia

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said this week that it has now been officially informed that its Hayabusa2 space capsule - carrying precious dust captured from the surface of near-Earth asteroid Ryugu - is approved for landing in Australia.

Deborah Byrd

August 21, 2020

Old moon and young moon

This is quite a feat! The old moon one morning, and the young moon the following evening, centered on the August 2020 new moon.

Deborah Byrd

August 20, 2020

Truck-sized asteroid swept within 2,000 miles on Sunday

Asteroid ZTF0DxQ - now officially labeled 2020 QG - now holds the record for the closest flyby of Earth. It swept just 2,000 miles (3,000 km) from Earth's surface, or about a quarter of the diameter of Earth itself.

Deborah Byrd

August 19, 2020

A clear night over Georgia

Deborah Byrd

August 19, 2020

Mysterious dimming of Betelgeuse explained?

Observations with the Hubble Space Telescope revealed a large amount of dense hot gas moving outwards through Betelgeuse’s extended atmosphere. This gas might have cooled and formed a dust cloud that partially blocked the star's light as seen from Earth, earlier this year.

Deborah Byrd

August 16, 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.