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Bruce McClure

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Bruce McClure

Zodiacal light: Start watching for it now

The zodiacal light is an eerie light extending up from the horizon before dawn around the Northern Hemisphere autumn. Southern Hemisphere? Look after sunset!

Deborah Byrd

Bruce McClure

August 22, 2025

Capricornus the Sea-goat has an arrowhead shape

Capricornus the Sea-goat is can be spotted in September and October, and is formed in the shape of an arrowhead. One Messier object, M30, is found within.

Bruce McClure

Kelly Kizer Whitt

August 21, 2025

The Great Rift is a dark swath in the Milky Way

The Great Rift or Dark Rift is a darkened swath of the Milky Way where new stars are forming. It's best seen from a rural location away from light pollution.

Bruce McClure

August 20, 2025

Thuban was the North Star for the ancient Egyptians

The North Star changes over time. Thuban was the Pole Star some 5,000 years ago, when the Egyptians were building the pyramids.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

August 12, 2025

Is Ophiuchus the 13th constellation of the zodiac?

Born between November 29 and December 18? Then the sun passes in front of Ophiuchus on your birthday. Here's how to spot the constellation Ophiuchus in the sky.

Bruce McClure

August 10, 2025

Favorite Star Patterns

Teapot of Sagittarius points to Milky Way center

As you gaze toward the famous Teapot asterism in the constellation Sagittarius, you are looking toward the center of our Milky Way galaxy.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

Marcy Curran

August 5, 2025

Sagittarius the Archer and its famous Teapot

The zodiacal constellation of Sagittarius the Archer contains the center of the Milky Way and a famous asterism known as the Teapot.

Bruce McClure

Kelly Kizer Whitt

July 31, 2025

Eltanin and Rastaban, the Dragon’s eyes

These 2 famous stars shine down from the northern sky. Eltanin and Rastaban represent the fiery eyes of the constellation Draco the Dragon.

Bruce McClure

Don Machholz

July 29, 2025

Exquisite Albireo, a favorite and colorful double star

Albireo, in the constellation Cygnus, is a favorite for stargazers. Through a small telescope, it appears as a beautiful gold star with a dimmer blue companion.

Bruce McClure

Shireen Gonzaga

July 17, 2025

The Omega nebula is a star-forming region

The Omega nebula, also known as the Swan nebula or M17, is visible through binoculars and glorious through a telescope. Here's how to find it.

Bruce McClure

July 10, 2025

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.