Posts by

Bruce McClure

The April 8 eclipse is part of Saros 139. What does that mean?

Enjoy the April 8 eclipse as you witness the 30th of 71 member eclipses in the illustrious procession known as Saros 139. Learn more here.

Bruce McClure

February 8, 2024

The meridian: When does the sun cross it?

In the jargon of astronomers, the sun is said to make an upper meridian transit when it reaches its highest point for the day at solar noon (midday).

Bruce McClure

January 2, 2024

Aries the Ram: Here’s your constellation

How to see Aries the Ram in your night sky with its bright star Hamal, plus info about this constellation in astronomy history and mythology.

Bruce McClure

December 28, 2023

Menkar – a visual double – is the Whale’s alpha star

It's not the most famous star in Cetus the Whale, or the brightest. But Menkar is the Whale's alpha star and has its own claims to fame.

Bruce McClure

December 8, 2023

Mirfak is the brightest star in Perseus the Hero

Mirfak is the brightest star in Perseus and is visible even from light-polluted locations. This star is a member of the Alpha Persei Moving Cluster of stars.

Bruce McClure

December 3, 2023

Media we love: Totality, The Great North American Eclipse of 2024

Read a book review of "Totality: The Great North American Eclipse of 2024" by Mark Littmann and Fred Espenak. Reviewed by Bruce McClure.

Bruce McClure

November 5, 2023

Deneb Kaitos marks the tail of Cetus the Whale

Deneb Kaitos is the brightest star in the constellation Cetus the Whale. It's at its highest in the sky on October and November evenings.

Bruce McClure

October 28, 2023

Happy Friday the 13th: It’s the 2nd one in 2023

When a year with 365 days starts on a Sunday, like 2023, it's inevitable Friday the 13th will occur twice. In 2023 Friday the 13th comes in January and October.

Bruce McClure

September 13, 2023

Sun-Regulus in conjunction on August 23

Every year around August 23, you can see the sun and Regulus in conjunction. But you won't see them, because they travel across the sky in the daytime.

Bruce McClure

August 23, 2023

Big Dipper (Sky Bear) comes to Earth in November

Every year, the Big Dipper (Great Bear) descends to its lowest point in the sky on November evenings. This makes it difficult, or impossible, to see.

Bruce McClure

EarthSky Voices

November 11, 2022

Bruce McClure

Bruce McClure served as lead writer for EarthSky's popular Tonight pages from 2004 to 2021, when he opted for a much-deserved retirement. You can still find many articles at EarthSky.org that were originally written by Bruce, and which the EarthSky editors still update regularly. Bruce is a sundial aficionado, whose love for the heavens has taken him to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia and sailing in the North Atlantic, where he earned his celestial navigation certificate through the School of Ocean Sailing and Navigation. He also wrote and hosted public astronomy programs and planetarium programs in and around his home in upstate New York. Bruce he loves cycles of all kinds! You can still find many articles at EarthSky with Bruce's name on them, exploring the various, intricate cycles of the sky.