Watch for the 3 bright stars of the Summer Triangle - Vega, Deneb and Altair - before dawn in March, before midnight in May and at dusk near the June solstice.

Bruce McClure

March 11, 2026

Mizar and Alcor in the bend of the Big Dipper

Mizar and Alcor are a famous pair of stars located at the bend of the handle of the Big Dipper. But what we see as 2 stars are really 6 stars!

Bruce McClure

March 10, 2026

Is Sirius the most luminous star in the sky?

Sirius is the brightest star in Earth's sky because of how close it is to us. It's so bright you might see glints of different colors flashing from it.

Bruce McClure

Kelly Kizer Whitt

March 4, 2026

The Beehive Cluster: A swarm of 1,000 stars

The Beehive Cluster is an open star cluster that lies near the center of the constellation Cancer the Crab. It goes by many names, including Praesepe and M44.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

March 1, 2026

Circumpolar stars never rise or set and depend on latitude

Circumpolar stars stay above the horizon all hours of the day, every day of the year. Although you can’t see them, they’re up even in the daytime.

Bruce McClure

February 22, 2026

Meet Gemini the Twins, home to Jupiter and 2 bright stars

The constellation Gemini the Twins is home to Castor and Pollux. Learn more about these bright stars, visible on northern winter nights.

Bruce McClure

February 20, 2026

Year’s latest solar noon happens on February 11

February 11 has 2026's latest solar noon by the clock. Solar noon is a natural event, the instant when the sun is at its highest point for the day.

Bruce McClure

February 11, 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. 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.