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Posts by
Bruce McClure
Cor Caroli, named for the heart of a king
Cor Caroli is a binary star and the brightest star in the northern constellation Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs. Its name means Heart of Charles.
April 24, 2024
1st eclipse season of 2024 starts March 24-25
There are many cycles in the heavens. We're coming up to a noticeable cycle, the 1st eclipse season this year. It starts with a penumbral lunar eclipse.
March 21, 2024
On the equinox, are day and night equal?
Day and night are mostly equal on the equinox. There's a bit more daylight because the sun is a disk, not a point, and Earth’s atmosphere refracts sunlight.
March 19, 2024
Equinox fun: Track sun’s shift between now and the solstice
On this equinox, start tracking the sunset point on your western horizon. You'll see a mighty shift between now and the June solstice.
March 19, 2024
Year’s fastest sunsets happen around equinoxes
The year's fastest sunsets are at the equinoxes, and the slowest are at the solstices. We're talking about how long it takes the sun to sink below the horizon.
March 19, 2024
Equinox sun rises due east and sets due west
The 2024 March equinox occurs on March 20 at 3:06 UTC (10:06 p.m. CDT on March 19). At the equinox, the sun rises and sets due east and due west.
March 19, 2024
Meet Cancer the Crab and its Beehive cluster
Cancer the Crab is one of the 12 constellations of the zodiac. Learn how to find it in your sky, plus learn about its star cluster, mythology and more.
March 10, 2024
The Beehive cluster: A swarm of 1,000 stars
The Beehive cluster is an open star cluster that lies near the center of the constellation Cancer the Crab. It goes by many names, including Praesepe and M44.
March 7, 2024
Lonely Alphard is the brightest star in Hydra
Alphard is the "heart" and brightest star in the constellation Hydra the Water Snake, and it represents a welcome sign of spring for the Northern Hemisphere.
March 4, 2024
Is Sirius the most luminous star in the sky?
Sirius is the brightest star in Earth's sky because of how close it is to us. It's so bright you might see glints of different colors flashing from it.
February 28, 2024
