Posts by

Deborah Byrd

A powerful 7.8-magnitude quake struck Alaska on July 21

The quake happened around 10:15 p.m. Tuesday night, according to clocks in Alaska. A tsunami warning along coastal Alaska - which was later rescinded - sent some residents to higher ground.

Deborah Byrd

July 22, 2020

Looks like Venus has dozens of active volcanoes

"This study significantly changes the view of Venus from a mostly inactive planet to one whose interior is still churning and can feed many active volcanoes," one scientist said.

Deborah Byrd

July 20, 2020

A nova, briefly visible in southern skies

Astronomers have spotted a classical nova outburst in a type of variable star that involves a white dwarf orbiting a main sequence star. Nova Reticulum 2020 has been briefly visible from the Southern Hemisphere.

Deborah Byrd

July 19, 2020

Solar Orbiter’s 1st views of the sun

Solar Orbiter's new views are the closest images of the sun taken so far.

Deborah Byrd

July 17, 2020

Journey of Venus

A composite image - made of photos acquired over 500 days - showing the waxing and waning of Venus, and the changing size of the planet's visible disk, as it orbits the sun one step inward from Earth.

Deborah Byrd

July 14, 2020

NASA announces Venus rover challenge winners

The Venus rover challenge - called "Exploring Hell" - received a great response from countries around the world. NASA said the design ideas submitted will help advance the final design of a mechanical rover that might one day explore the hellish surface of Venus.

Deborah Byrd

July 9, 2020

Altair and Aquila the Eagle

Look for the star Altair in the east on July evenings. You'll recognize it for the 2 fainter stars on either side of it ... as if the 3 were "walking the Milky Way hand in hand and three abreast."

Deborah Byrd

July 8, 2020

Deneb and its constellation Cygnus the Swan

The Summer Triangle consists of 3 bright stars - Vega, Deneb and Altair - in 3 different constellations. Deneb also represents the tail of Cygnus the Swan.

Deborah Byrd

July 7, 2020

Eclipse? What eclipse?

Even experienced observers say they couldn't discern the Earth's shadow on the moon during the partial penumbral eclipse of July 4-5, 2020.

Deborah Byrd

July 5, 2020

For the 1st time, a visible light explosion from a black hole merger

In recent years, black hole mergers in our universe have been detected via ripples in spacetime known as gravitational waves. Now, for the first time, astronomers believe they've observed visible light from a black hole merger, in a peculiar 3-black-hole system.

Deborah Byrd

July 3, 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.