Posts by

Bruce McClure

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

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, 2 bright stars close together

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

The stars Shaula and Lesath herald the coming spring

On February mornings, look for the celestial ducks returning to open water on the river of the Milky Way as the stars Shaula and Lesath make their appearance.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

February 11, 2026

Elnath is a bright star close to the galactic anticenter

The galactic anticenter is opposite the Milky Way's center from our viewpoint on Earth. The closest bright star to the anticenter is Taurus the Bull's Elnath.

Bruce McClure

January 28, 2026

Meet the Winter Circle, aka the Winter Hexagon

The brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere's winter sky form the shape of the Winter Circle, or Hexagon, that will help you locate 6 constellations.

Bruce McClure

Kelly Kizer Whitt

January 15, 2026

The Hyades star cluster: The Face of Taurus the Bull

Look for the V-shape Hyades star cluster in Taurus the Bull in the evening sky. It represents the Face of the Bull and it's beautiful in binoculars.

Bruce McClure

January 11, 2026

How far is a light-year? Plus, distances in space

How can we comprehend the distances to the stars and other galaxies? Here's a way to understand a light-year in terms miles and kilometers.

Bruce McClure

January 1, 2026

What’s a Blood Moon? All you need to know

By this definition, Blood Moon is a member of a special kind of lunar tetrad : four total lunar eclipses in a row. Now it's used for any total lunar eclipse.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

January 1, 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.