Posts by

Bruce McClure

Friday the 13th comes once in 2022

The calendar seems to have a life of its own when it comes to Friday the 13th and number play. Happy Friday the 13th!

Bruce McClure

May 13, 2022

Clock time and sun time agree in mid-April

Sun time and clock agree every year in mid-April. It means that, when the midday sun climbs highest, both sundial and your local clock read 12 noon.

Bruce McClure

April 15, 2022

Circumpolar stars stay up all night long

Circumpolar stars are those that never rise nor set from a certain location. At the poles, all stars are circumpolar, while at the equator, no star is.

Bruce McClure

February 18, 2022

Last quarter moon and Spica, mornings of January 24 and 25

See the moon and Spica on the mornings of January 24 and 25, 2022. The last quarter moon sidles up to the bright star in Virgo on these dates.

Bruce McClure

January 23, 2022

Lunar libration: January 7 moon maximum for 2022

One side of the moon always faces Earth. Even so, over time, it's possible to see as much as 59% of the moon's surface, due to lunar libration.

Bruce McClure

January 6, 2022

Moon in Gemini before dawn September 29 and 30

On September 29 and 30, 2021, use the waning crescent moon in Gemini to find the stars Castor and Pollux in the predawn sky.

Bruce McClure

September 28, 2021

Moon, Aldebaran, Pleiades late night September 25 to 27

Late at night on these next several nights - September 25, 26 and 27, 2021 - watch for the moon, Aldebaran, Pleiades.

Bruce McClure

September 25, 2021

Moon, Saturn, Jupiter September 15 to 18

Watch for the moon, Saturn, Jupiter on September 15 to 18, 2021.

Bruce McClure

September 15, 2021

Mercury greatest elongation September 14, best for S. Hemisphere

Watch for Mercury from Southern Hemisphere locations in late August, through September, 2021. Meanwhile, from northerly latitudes, bring binoculars!

Bruce McClure

September 13, 2021

Moon, Antares and Venus on September 12

From around the world on September 12, 2021, watch for the moon and Antares. This star - a summer star for the Northern Hemisphere - is shifting westward.

Bruce McClure

September 12, 2021

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.