Posts by

Bruce McClure

Will you see the moon and planets at dawn March 8 to 10?

In the predawn/dawn sky on March 8, 9 and 10, 2021, let the old moon serve as your guide to the three morning planets: Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn.

Bruce McClure

March 7, 2021

Moon and star Antares morning of March 5, 2021

Let the moon show you Antares, a red supergiant star and the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion on the morning of March 5.

Bruce McClure

March 4, 2021

Closest Mars-Pleiades conjunction until 2038

This year - on March 3, 2021 - the red planet Mars and the Pleiades star cluster - also known as the Seven Sisters - stage their closest conjunction on the sky's dome until February 4, 2038.

Bruce McClure

March 3, 2021

Mercury’s greatest elongation Mar 6, 2021

Mercury, the innermost planet, has a close conjunction with the king planet Jupiter on March 5, and then reaches its greatest elongation from the sun on March 6.

Bruce McClure

March 2, 2021

Moon, star Spica on Mar 1, 2021

This evening - March 1, 2021 - look eastward before going to bed and you just might catch the bright waning gibbous moon and the star Spica over the horizon.

Bruce McClure

March 1, 2021

Full Snow Moon on February 26-27, 2021

These next few nights - February 26 and 27, 2021 - watch for the full Snow Moon to light up the nighttime form dusk till dawn.

Bruce McClure

February 26, 2021

Moon and faint Cancer the Crab on February 24, 2021

Cancer the Crab is the faintest constellation of the zodiac. But - if you'll note the stars in the moon's vicinity on February 24, 2021 - those stars can help you find Cancer.

Bruce McClure

February 24, 2021

Moon, Castor, Pollux and Procyon on February 23

On February 23, 2021, you'll find the bright waxing gibbous moon shining close to the 2 brightest stars in the constellation Gemini, Castor and Pollux. Procyon, the Little Dog Star, is also nearby.

Bruce McClure

February 23, 2021

Mercury-Saturn quasi-conjunction on February 23, 2021

Will you see Saturn and Mercury in the east before sunup these next few mornings? It won't be easy. They're near the sunrise. Their quasi-conjunction comes on February 23.

Bruce McClure

February 22, 2021

Moon skims past Mars and Aldebaran February 17-19, 2021

The waxing crescent moon pairs up with the faint planet Uranus on February 17, flits by the red planet Mars on February 18, and then joins up with the red star Aldebaran on February 19.

Bruce McClure

February 17, 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.