Posts by

Bruce McClure

Venus, Castor, Pollux on June 9 to 11

At nightfall on June 9, 10 and 11, use Venus to find the Gemini stars, Castor and Pollux, before their heliacal setting later this month.

Bruce McClure

June 9, 2018

Moon, Saturn, Mars before dawn June 1-3

These 2 worlds - Saturn and Mars - will shine brightly and beautifully in our sky over the coming months. Let the moon guide you to them in the next few mornings.

Bruce McClure

June 1, 2018

Moon and Saturn close May 30 and 31

The moon is past full on May 30 and 31. You'll find it ascending in the east several hours after sunset. Saturn - now nearly at its best for 2018 - is the nearest bright object.

Bruce McClure

May 30, 2018

3rd of this season’s 3 full moons May 29

In 2018, we have 3 full moons between the March equinox and June solstice. Exactly 12 full moons from now - in May 2019 - we'll be enjoying the 3rd of 4 full moons of this season. People will call it a Blue Moon.

Bruce McClure

May 29, 2018

Beauty! Moon and Jupiter May 25 to 28

Jupiter is the brightest object near the moon on all of these nights. You'll also notice a bright star, Spica in the constellation Virgo, nearby.

Bruce McClure

May 25, 2018

1st quarter moon and Regulus May 21

Starting tonight and for the next several days, notice the moon's orbital motion as it sweeps by the star Regulus, the Heart of the Lion in the constellation Leo.

Bruce McClure

May 21, 2018

Young moon and Venus May 16-18

A beautiful sight in the west after sunset for the next few evenings ... the brightest planet Venus near the returning young moon.

Bruce McClure

May 16, 2018

This weekend … Moon and Mercury

Best morning apparition of Mercury for 2018 in the Southern Hemisphere ... worst in the Northern Hemisphere. For the whole Earth, the moon will sweep past Mercury before sunrise.

Bruce McClure

May 11, 2018

Find the Omega Centauri star cluster

The sparkling blue-white star Spica acts as your guide to the Omega Centauri cluster, a globular cluster bright enough to see with the eye alone, in a dark sky.

Bruce McClure

May 5, 2018

Don’t miss moon and Mars on May 6

Don't miss the moon and Mars together in the predawn sky on May 6, 2018. Plus a word about other bright planets you can see in May.

Bruce McClure

May 5, 2018

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.