Compton Beach

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November 17, 2017

Compton beach on the Compton Bay is located on the southwest side of Isle of Wight, an island south of Southampton. The 2 mile (3.2 km) beach is famous for dinosaur footprints that are visible at low tide, out on a shelf at sea and at the base of the cliff edge. It is a popular destination for surfing and looking for fossils. The entire island is known for good stargazing due to low light pollution, and especially this southwest side. A fellow stargazer says: “Proper dark skies as on the south side of the Island, away from any towns or villages.”

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November 17, 2017

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Deborah Byrd

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Deborah Byrd 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. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. 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.