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Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. 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. 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.

A chart showing how to use the handle of the Big Dipper to find the stars Arcturus and Spica.

Arcturus, brightest star of the north

Posted by and in Astronomy Essentials | Brightest Stars | 17 hours ago
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Arcturus is the 4th brightest star in the sky and the brightest star north of the celestial equator. One of the easiest stars to locate due to its position off the handle of the Big Dipper, you can look for it on spring evenings in the Northern Hemisphere.

Colourful evening sky with a faint young moon, Mercury and Venus and cityscape in foreground

The twilight trio: young moon, Mercury and Venus

Posted by in Today's Image | 18 hours ago
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The brightest planet Venus has now returned to the evening sky, joining Mercury. It’ll surprise you by appearing so bright, low in the western twilight. The moon swept past it Wednesday evening, May 12, 2021, and is climbing higher each day.
Sky chart of Corvus the Crow and Spica, the constellation Virgo's brightest star.

Meet Corvus the Crow

Posted by in Tonight | 4 days ago
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Corvus is a small constellation, recognizable for its compact, boxy shape. It’s a fun one!

Look for the beautiful Northern Crown

Posted by in Tonight | 6 days ago
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Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, is an almost perfect semicircle of stars. Look for it between 2 bright stars: Arcturus and Vega.
springtime-big-dipper-arcurus-spica.jpg

Arc to Arcturus, spike to Spica

Posted by in Tonight | 7 days ago
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Learn a phrase useful to sky watchers: Follow the arc to Arcturus and drive a spike (or speed on) to Spica.

An image of 2 blue-white stars, one slightly larger than the other.

Spica, bright beacon of Virgo, is a whirling pair of egg-shaped stars

Posted by and in Brightest Stars | 1 week ago
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Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, is a very close, scorching-hot pair of stars, whirling around one another. One may go supernova as it nears the end of its lifetime.

Bright star Vega on May evenings

Posted by in Tonight | 1 week ago
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Blue star Vega is the brightest light in the distinctive constellation Lyra the Harp. Vega is easy to spot at this time of year. Lyra is easy, too, if you have a dark sky.
A rocket body, seen from cameras carried higher up on the rocket, with the curve of Earth below.

SpaceX Starship prototype soars 6 miles up, then lands upright

Posted by and in Space | 1 week ago
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SpaceX’s test flight of Starship SN15 went off without a hitch today, May 5, 2021. Following 4 Starship prototypes that exploded upon landing after their high-altitude flight tests, the SN15 landed safely.
Venus gleaming in a twilight sky, with an owl in silhouette in front of it.

Venus and the owl, from California

Posted by in Today's Image | 2 weeks ago
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Venus and Mercury are both in the western sky after sunset now, but both are exceedingly low in the sky, in the midst of bright twilight, and so difficult to spot. These photos captured them.

May 2021 guide to the bright planets

Posted by and in Astronomy Essentials | 2 weeks ago
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Mars is the only visible planet out after nightfall. You’ll find it descending in the west each evening in May 2021. Also watch for brilliant Venus and little Mercury low in the west, for a brief time after sunset. Bright Jupiter and ringed Saturn grace the morning sky.