Posts by 

Deborah Byrd

2023 December solstice: All you need to know

The 2023 December solstice is December 22, at 3:27 UTC (December 21, at 9:27 p.m. CST). Northern Hemisphere's shortest day. Southern Hemisphere's longest day.

Iceland volcano erupts! See a livestream here

After weeks of earthquakes, an Iceland volcano began erupting powerfully on December 18, 2023. It was a bigger eruption than volcanologists had predicted!

Visible planets and night sky for December

Visible planets: Venus dominates the morning sky. Bright Jupiter is visible most of the night. Saturn shines after sunset.

Virga is rain that doesn’t reach the ground

Learn what virga is and how it forms, and see great photos to help you learn how to identify it yourself! Plus, learn if radar can pick up virga.

10 tips for watching the Geminids in 2023

The Geminids make up a rich and much-loved annual meteor shower that peaks in mid-December. Here are 10 tips for watching the Geminids in 2023.

Mysterious 3200 Phaethon – parent to the Geminids – revealed?

3200 Phaethon is the weird comet-like asteroid that spawns the Geminid meteor shower. New research reveals more answers ... and questions.

When our sun dies, what will happen to Earth?

A study suggests our sun is about the lowest mass star that - when it dies - produces a visible, though faint, planetary nebula. What happens when our sun dies.

Aldebaran is Taurus the Bull’s bloodshot eye

Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus the Bull, is at one tip of a V-shaped cluster. If placed where our sun is, its surface would pass the orbit of Mercury.

2023’s most-illuminated quarter moon is tonight

Some quarter moons are fuller than others! The most-illuminated quarter moon of 2023 is on December 5. Learn more unique moon dates for 2024.

What moves the sailing stones of Death Valley?

At Death Valley’s Racetrack Playa, the sailing stones show signs of movement, etching trails in the dry lake bed. It was a mystery until quite recently.