Posts by

Bruce McClure

Coathanger cluster: This star pattern looks like its name

The Coathanger cluster resembles its namesake and is easy to spot with binoculars, using the star Albireo - part of the Summer Triangle - as a signpost.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

July 17, 2026

Exquisite Albireo, a beloved and colorful double star

Albireo, in the constellation Cygnus, is a favorite for stargazers. Through a small telescope, it appears as a beautiful gold star with a dimmer blue companion.

Bruce McClure

Shireen Gonzaga

July 2, 2026

Epsilon Lyrae is the famous Double Double star

To the unaided eye, Epsilon Lyrae appears as 1 star. But it’s actually a system with at least 5 stars. Learn how to find them here.

Bruce McClure

July 1, 2026

Is Zubeneschamali a green star? Pros say no … sky-watchers say yes

Professional astronomers can explain to you why stars can’t look green. Yet many stargazers insist that Zubeneschamali proves otherwise. What's the truth?

Bruce McClure

June 30, 2026

Latest sunsets follow the summer solstice

Why don't the latest sunsets come on the longest day (the solstice)? It's all to do with a discrepancy between sun time and clock time.

Bruce McClure

June 26, 2026

For all of Earth, longest sunsets around the solstice

Here's a natural phenomenon you might never have imagined: the longest sunsets happen around the time of a solstice, no matter where you are on the globe.

Bruce McClure

June 19, 2026

Can a single season have only 2 full moons?

We know it's possible to squeeze 4 full moons into a single season. But can a season have just 2 full moons? Turns out it can, but it is rare.

Bruce McClure

May 31, 2026

Virgo the Maiden represents a harvest goddess

Virgo the Maiden is the largest of the zodiac constellations. It's large and faint, but its brightest star Spica is easy to find.

Bruce McClure

Kelly Kizer Whitt

May 27, 2026

Find the Keystone in Hercules, and the Hercules Cluster M13

Let the bright star Vega guide you to a famous star pattern in Hercules - called the Keystone - and then to the Hercules Cluster, aka M13.

Bruce McClure

May 19, 2026

How to see the Southern Cross from the Northern Hemisphere

The Southern Cross can be seen from the Northern Hemisphere, as long as you're below 26 degrees north and know when and where to look!

Bruce McClure

May 14, 2026

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.