Posts by

Bruce McClure

Deneb Kaitos marks the tail of Cetus

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 17, 2021

What are star trails, and how can I capture them?

What are star trails? Photographers point cameras skyward and take long-exposure photos. You see streaks caused by Earth's rotation.

Bruce McClure

October 13, 2021

Draconid meteor shower 2021 will peak October 8

October's Draconid meteor shower - sometimes called the Giacobinids - is expected to peak at nightfall or early evening on October 8, 2021.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

October 2, 2021

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

Delta Cephei helps measure cosmic distances

Delta Cephei is an inconspicuous variable star in the northern constellation Cepheus the King. This star helps establish the cosmic distance scale.

Bruce McClure

Shireen Gonzaga

September 24, 2021

Gamma Cephei, aka Errai, a future North Star

Gamma Cephei - or Errai - is a binary star system that will someday be Earth’s North Star. Gamma Cephei is home to the first exoplanet ever discovered.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

September 22, 2021

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 the minutes needed for the sun to sink below the horizon.

Bruce McClure

September 21, 2021

Are day and night equal at the equinox?

Are day and night equal at an equinox? No. Earth's atmosphere and our sun team up to give us more day than night at an equinox.

Bruce McClure

September 16, 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

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. He's 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.