Posts by 

Kelly Kizer Whitt

Frank Drake, SETI visionary, born on this date

May 28, 2023, would be the 93rd birthday of Frank Drake. He formulated the famous Drake equation in 1961, as a tool for contemplating alien civilizations.

New supernova! M101 explosion is closest in a decade

An amateur astronomer discovered a new supernova in M101 (the Pinwheel Galaxy) on May 19, 2023. See stunning images of the explosion here.

Visible planets and night sky for May and June 2023

May's visible planets: Brilliant Venus and Mars are in the western evening sky. Morning planets are Saturn, Jupiter and Mercury.

Moon analemma over Egypt’s Great Pyramids

A moon analemma follows the path of the moon over the course of a lunar month. Read how to create a moon analemma here.

Media We Love: The Merlin Bird ID app

In this installment of Media We Love, EarthSky editor Kelly Kizer Whitt recommends the Merlin Bird ID app. It's a free app! Learn how it works here.

Canadian wildfires continue to rage with a smoky central US

Canadian wildfires continue to rage, with the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan producing smoke that is pouring into the U.S.

Sky measurements: Degrees, arcminutes and arcseconds

What are sky measurements - or distances - in the night sky? Here's what it means for objects to be several degrees (or arcminutes or arcseconds) apart.

Joro spiders are more afraid of you (if that’s possible)

The giant Joro spiders spreading up and down the East Coast are surprisingly shy, researchers found. Although venomous, the pose no threat to humans.

Mount St. Helens’ 1980 eruption still causing destruction

On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted, killing 57 people. Debris from the 1980 eruption caused a landslide that destroyed a road in 2023.

Jurassic-age giant reptile was twice as big as killer whale

Scientists have discovered that a giant reptile of the Jurassic period - a pliosaur - could have been up to 47 feet in length.