Posts by

Deborah Byrd

TESS planet-hunter achieves 1st light

Launched last April, TESS is successor to the Kepler mission, which discovered a substantial fraction of all known exoplanets orbiting distant suns. This 1st-light image from TESS is cause for celebration. Ahoy! New worlds ahead!

Deborah Byrd

September 17, 2018

Last night’s 1st quarter moon

A 1st quarter moon is showing us half of its day side, or a quarter of the whole moon.

Deborah Byrd

September 17, 2018

Mars is closest to the sun today

On September 16, 2018, Mars reaches perihelion, its closest point to the sun in its 2-year orbit. Mars' brightness in July and August - and a recent global dust storm on the planet - are both linked to this event.

Deborah Byrd

September 16, 2018

You can still see 4 evening planets

We've been treated for several months now to the sight of 4 bright planets in our evening sky. Although Mars isn't as bright now as it was, all 4 planets are still up there after sunset, visible from across Earth.

Deborah Byrd

September 16, 2018

Giant iceberg A68 finally pushes off

We saw this break away from the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica last year. Now, finally, it's beginning to drift.

Deborah Byrd

September 15, 2018

It’s been a year since Cassini plunged into Saturn

On September 15, 2017, the Cassini spacecraft plunged into Saturn, ending its spectacular mission. Cassini's last images and final moments, here.

Deborah Byrd

September 14, 2018

Here’s how Hubble sees Saturn

Cassini ended its 13-year mission at Saturn a year ago, when it plunged into the giant planet's atmosphere. Now the Hubble Space Telescope is keeping an eye on the planet.

Deborah Byrd

September 14, 2018

Aurora alien and storm trooper

Göran Strand captured an aurora over Sweden this week, but it wasn't until he mirrored the image that things got interesting. Can you see the alien? How about the storm trooper? Both are examples of pareidolia.

Deborah Byrd

September 12, 2018

Alien-hunting AI discovers dozens of mysterious fast radio bursts

Astronomers with the Breakthrough Listen program used AI (artificial intelligence) to find 72 repeating, short, unpredictable radio bursts, from a mysterious source 3 billion light years away.

Deborah Byrd

September 12, 2018

Landslides and avalanches keep comets active

Landslides and avalanches on comets might keep them active, when closest to the sun, much longer than expected. They might even bring some dormant comets back to life!

Deborah Byrd

September 12, 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.