Posts by

Deborah Byrd

Saturn’s famous hexagon towers above cloudtops

As wide as 2 Earths - like nothing seen on any other world - Saturn's hexagon was thought to be a feature of the lower atmosphere, where Saturn's weather happens. Now there's evidence it extends high above the cloudtops.

Deborah Byrd

September 5, 2018

Tropical Storm Gordon has made landfall

One death has been reported so far from the storm. Gordon's winds were just below hurricane-force last night when it made landfall just west of the Alabama-Mississippi border.

Deborah Byrd

September 5, 2018

Telescopic view of 4 planets

These 4 planets - from west to east, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars - have been dominating our evening sky. They'll stay up throughout September.

Deborah Byrd

September 5, 2018

Love vines suck life from wasps, leaving mummies

For the first time, biologists have documented dueling parasites in South Florida. When love vines do battle with gall wasps, the result is wasp mummies.

Deborah Byrd

Eleanor Imster

September 5, 2018

Mars’ gala summer has ended

Mars - the world next-outward from Earth in orbit around the sun - has been brighter these past 2 months than since 2003. It's still bright, but will soon fade. Here are a few recent images of Mars at its best.

Deborah Byrd

September 3, 2018

Moonlight over Black Waterfall, Iceland

Svartifoss - the Black Waterfall - on Iceland's south coast is a popular destination for hikers and tourists. It drops from a crescent-shaped cliff made of black basalt columns.

Deborah Byrd

September 1, 2018

Saturn and its rings

Beautiful capture of Saturn and its major rings - and even the gap between the rings, known as Cassini's Division - from Tom Wildoner.

Deborah Byrd

August 31, 2018

New Horizons has Ultima Thule in view

The legendary craft that flew past Pluto in 2015 is still heading outward. New Horizons will sweep past its next target, nicknamed Ultima Thule, on New Year's Day, 2019.

Deborah Byrd

August 30, 2018

Hello, universe

A composite image of star trails with our Milky Way galaxy, and more, by Karthik Easvur.

Deborah Byrd

August 30, 2018

Astronomers map a starburst galaxy

Astronomers made the sharpest and clearest map yet of a distant starburst galaxy, where stars form 1,000 times faster than in our Milky Way. They're now calling this galaxy an "unstoppable monster."

Deborah Byrd

August 29, 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.