Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Moon and Saturn Friday morning

The March 29 occultation of Saturn by the moon was visible from eastern Brazil, southern Africa, Madagascar, the southern tip of India, and Sri Lanka.

Deborah Byrd

March 31, 2019

Hubble captures a rare active asteroid

The Space Telescope's sharp imaging provided detail on activity from active asteroid Gault, which is now known to be spinning on its axis so fast that material on its surface at times flies off into space.

Deborah Byrd

March 30, 2019

Large Magellanic Cloud over Neill Island

Northern Hemisphere skywatchers need to be south of about 20 degrees N. latitude to see the Large Magellanic Cloud. Aman Chokshi caught it from Neill Island, India, at about 10 degrees N.

Deborah Byrd

March 28, 2019

Fiery sunset

Neeraj Ladia in Chennai, India, caught this beautiful sunset last week, on the day of the equinox. Thank you, Neeraj!

Deborah Byrd

March 26, 2019

Milky Way and rock art

No one knows for sure what ancient culture drew this rock art.

Deborah Byrd

March 25, 2019

Great images of fireball over Bering Sea

Last December 18, a big "fireball" or bright meteor exploded above the Bering Sea with more than 10 times the energy of the atomic blast over Hiroshima. Satellites saw it all.

Deborah Byrd

March 24, 2019

Star trails over Colorado

A peaceful scene in Colorado, the week of the March equinox.

Deborah Byrd

March 23, 2019

Night basketball

As we shift into spring here in the Northern Hemisphere, the nights are beckoning!

Deborah Byrd

March 20, 2019

Hyper-runaway star fled Milky Way disk

University of Michigan astronomers say a hyper-runaway star didn't originate from the galaxy's center, as previously believed. Instead, they say, a cluster of young stars booted it from the galaxy's disk.

Deborah Byrd

March 15, 2019

See the Opportunity rover’s last image

Opportunity - nicknamed "Oppy" - was active on Mars from 2004 until June, 2018, when a planet-wide dust storm covered it. Its final image is a panorama, acquired from Opportunity's final resting place in Mars' Perseverance Valley.

Deborah Byrd

March 15, 2019

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.