Posts by 

Bruce McClure

How often are there three eclipses in one month?

We last had three eclipses in one lunar month in 2020. It'll next happen in the year 2029. From 2000-2050, there are 3 eclipses in one lunar month 14 times.

The Orion Nebula (M42) is a starry nursery

You can see the Orion Nebula as a fuzzy spot in the sky using just your eyes. It's really a vast cloud in space where new stars are forming. Learn more.

December has the longest days (wherever you live)

The longest days accompany the winter solstice. In December, a day - a whole cycle of day and night - is about half a minute longer than the average 24 hours.

The Andromeda Galaxy: All you need to know

The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest large galaxy to our Milky Way. At 2.5 million light-years, it's the most distant thing you can see with the eye alone.

Your earliest sunset comes before the winter solstice

The solstice comes on December 21, 2025, at 15:03 UTC. Does that coincide with your earliest sunset? Probably not. It depends on where you live.

Andromeda galaxy: Find it by star-hopping from Pegasus

The 4 stars of the Great Square of Pegasus are easy to find. Ready? Let's star-hop! Use these guide stars to help find the Andromeda galaxy.

Planisphere: Your friend to find stars and constellations

A planisphere is an easy-to-use tool that can help you learn the night sky. Align the date and time to see what constellations and stars are overhead.

Triangulum galaxy is 2nd-closest to Milky Way

The Triangulum Galaxy, aka M33, is the farthest object you can see with the unaided eye, if in fact you can see it. But seeing it is a challenge.

The Pleiades – or 7 Sisters – known around the world

The Pleiades star cluster - aka the 7 Sisters or M45 - is visible from almost every part of the globe. It looks like a tiny, misty dipper of stars.

Look out our galaxy’s south window, into intergalactic space

Use the Great Square of Pegasus to locate Fomalhaut. Then you're on your way to looking out our galaxy's south window into intergalactic space.

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