Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Mars Express eyes a curious cloud

The long, thin, white cloud has been seen extending west of a Martian volcano since September 13. It looks as if it could be volcanic, yet it isn't. Here's what's going on.

Deborah Byrd

October 26, 2018

Moon near Aldebaran and Pleiades October 26

Despite the lunar glare, you still might see Aldebaran, the constellation Taurus’ brightest star, and the Pleiades star cluster near the moon

Deborah Byrd

October 26, 2018

See it! Hunter’s Moon 2018

Photos from the EarthSky Community of the glorious full Hunter's Moon in the October night sky. Thanks to all who submitted!

Deborah Byrd

October 25, 2018

The Orionid meteor shower peaked last weekend, and many of the meteors were drowned in bright moonlight. But John Ashley managed to catch a few dozen in the narrow window between moonset and dawn Sunday morning.

Deborah Byrd

October 24, 2018

EVE and Wall-E have Mars in their sights

The MarCOs - 2 briefcase-sized CubeSats accompanying NASA’s InSight spacecraft - are chasing Mars as it orbits the sun. Along the way, they've captured the 1st-ever CubeSat image of Mars!

Deborah Byrd

October 23, 2018

Venus is going, going …

Venus will sweep between us and the sun (inferior conjunction) on October 26. Check out this photo - taken just 5 days before inferior conjunction - of Venus as a slim crescent world.

Deborah Byrd

October 23, 2018

Waxing toward full Hunter’s Moon

Tonight - October 23, 2018 - the moon is waxing for all of us, around the globe. If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, it's waxing toward a full Hunter's Moon and the second full moon of autumn. If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, the moon is waxing toward your second full moon of springtime.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

October 23, 2018

Our Milky Way almost collided with another galaxy

Astronomers found a snail-shaped substructure of stars in our larger Milky Way galaxy. It indicates the Milky Way is still enduring the effects of a near-collision that set millions of stars moving like ripples on a pond.

Deborah Byrd

October 22, 2018

Big Dipper over Grand Gulch, Utah

The Big Dipper over a pool in the Utah desert, caught from a canyon littered with the rock art and ruins of Ancestral Puebloans.

Deborah Byrd

October 22, 2018

Light pillars over Whitefish Bay

When there are ice crystals in the air around you, you might see light pillars. They're the result of light reflecting from the crystals suspended in the air or clouds.

Deborah Byrd

October 21, 2018

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.