Posts by

Bruce McClure

Close and far moons in 2018

In 2018, the moon swings farthest from Earth for the year on January 15, only 2 weeks after coming closest to Earth for the year on January 1.

Bruce McClure

January 15, 2018

Saturn, Mercury, moon this weekend

The Mercury/Saturn conjunction is Saturday, January 13. Plus, on both Saturday and Sunday mornings, the moon will be pointing toward these planets near the sunrise.

Bruce McClure

January 13, 2018

Sun in zodiac constellations, 2018

Sun entry dates into zodiac constellations, using boundaries for constellations set by the International Astronomical Union in the 1930s.

Bruce McClure

January 12, 2018

Moon, Jupiter, Mars January 10-12

Enjoy great sky scenes on the mornings of January 10-12, 2018, as the moon joins up with the planets Jupiter and Mars in front of the constellation Libra the Scales.

Bruce McClure

January 10, 2018

Mars/Jupiter conjunction on January 7, 2018

Watch for the magnificent conjunction of Mars and Jupiter in the predawn sky on January 7, 2018. Then get ready for a great year of Mars- and Jupiter-watching in 2018.

Bruce McClure

January 6, 2018

Moon and Regulus on January 4

Look for the moon and Regulus to climb above your eastern horizon around mid-evening on January 4, 2018. From some places, the moon will pass in front of Regulus.

Bruce McClure

January 4, 2018

Year’s closest supermoon on January 1-2

Enjoy the "most super" supermoon of the year on the night of January 1-2, 2018, as it lights up the nighttime from dusk to dawn.

Bruce McClure

January 1, 2018

Moon hides Aldebaran on December 30

We all can see Aldebaran - brightest star in Taurus the Bull - near tonight's moon. Those in northeastern North America, Greenland, Iceland and northern Europe can see the moon pass in front of Aldebaran.

Bruce McClure

December 30, 2017

See 3 planets in a line before sunrise

Draw an imaginary line from the red planet Mars through the king planet Jupiter to find elusive Mercury near the sunrise point on your horizon.

Bruce McClure

December 29, 2017

Planet Uranus in moon’s glare on December 27

The December 27 moon is close to the 7th planet, Uranus. The lunar glare glare will make it tough to spot, but notice stars nearby ... and come back when the moon is gone.

Bruce McClure

December 27, 2017

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.