Posts by 

Bruce McClure

The Big and Little Dipper: How to find them

How to find the Big and Little Dipper in the nighttime sky. From the Northern Hemisphere the Big Dipper is high in the sky on spring evenings.

On the equinox, equal day and night?

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.

Equinox shadows trace a straight line from west to east

Equinox shadows are unique. On this day - and this day only - the tip of an upright stick's shadow follows a straight path, west to east, all day long.

Equinox sun rises due east and sets due west

The 2023 March equinox occurs on March 20 at 21:24 UTC (4:24 p.m. CDT). The equinox sun rises due east and sets due west on that day.

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.

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.

Meet Taurus the Bull in the evening sky

Taurus the Bull resides near the constellation Orion. It contains 2 famous star clusters that are easy to spot: the Pleiades and the Hyades.

Meet Gemini the Twins, home to 2 bright stars

The constellation Gemini the Twins is home to Castor and Pollux. Learn more about these bright stars, which you can see on northern winter nights.

Andromeda galaxy: Find it by star-hopping from Pegasus

The 4 stars of the Great Square of Pegasus are easy to find. Ready? Let's star-hop! Use these guide stars to help find the Andromeda Galaxy.

Year’s latest solar noon happens on February 11

February 11 has 2023's latest solar noon by the clock. Solar noon is a natural event, the instant when the sun is at its highest point for the day.