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Golden Gate, San Francisco, under the stars

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June 11, 2013

View larger. | Golden Gate, San Francisco, with star trails around Polaris, from Meggi Raeder Photography. Visit Meggi's website here. — View larger. | Golden Gate, San Francisco, with star trails around Polaris, from Meggi Raeder Photography. Visit Meggi’s website here.

Meggi Raeder was looking generally northward when she captured this image. How do we know? Notice the star trails – streaks of light – circling around a point in the sky. That point marks the location of the North Celestial Pole. The star Polaris or the North Star nearly coincides with this point on our sky’s dome.

Photographers capture star trails as Earth spins under the sky. Read more about stars trails here.

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June 11, 2013

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Deborah Byrd

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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.