Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Iceland braces for eruption of Fagradalsfjall volcano

Iceland declared a state of emergency on November 10, 2023, near Fagradalsfjall volcano, dormant for 800 years until 2021. Now it looks poised to erupt again.

Deborah Byrd

November 11, 2023

Daylight Time ends Sunday: 7 tips to help you adjust

Daylight Time ends on November 5, 2023. Here are 7 tips from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine to help you adjust to the time change.

Deborah Byrd

November 3, 2023

Jupiter and Earth just past its closest, now at opposition

Giant Jupiter is closest to Earth for 2023 on November 1-2. Then Earth will fly between the sun and Jupiter - bringing Jupiter to opposition - on November 2-3.

Deborah Byrd

November 2, 2023

A fogbow is cousin to a rainbow

A fogbow is like a white rainbow. It's made by much the same process as rainbows but with a fog's smaller water droplets instead of larger raindrops.

Deborah Byrd

November 2, 2023

Why is Jupiter closest to Earth 1 day before opposition?

Jupiter's perihelion, closest point to the sun in 2023, is on November 1-2. The distance between the sun and Jupiter will be 369,964,113 miles (595,399,525 km).

Deborah Byrd

November 1, 2023

Anticrepuscular rays: How to see them

If you want to see anticrepuscular rays, look carefully opposite the direction of the sun. They are most often seen at sunrise or sunset.

Deborah Byrd

November 1, 2023

Cassiopeia the Queen is overhead on autumn evenings

Spot the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen somewhere in the northern sky during much of the year, and throughout much of the night. It's high overhead now.

Deborah Byrd

October 30, 2023

Don’t miss! Hunter’s Moon 2023 and Jupiter tonight

Find the date and time of the Northern Hemisphere's full Hunter's Moon for October 2021, and learn why this moon brightens the evening for a string of days.

Deborah Byrd

October 28, 2023

Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our sun

Proxima Centauri is the nearest star to our sun at 4.22 light-years away. It's home to at least 2 planets and has massive solar flares.

Deborah Byrd

Kelly Kizer Whitt

October 27, 2023

Triangulum galaxy is 2nd-closest to Milky Way

The Triangulum Galaxy, aka M33, is the farthest object you can see with the unaided eye, if in fact you can see it. But seeing it is a challenge.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

October 24, 2023

Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd 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. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. 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.