Posts by

Bruce McClure

Moon closest to Saturn on July 6

Want to identify Saturn, jewel of our solar system? July 6, 2017 is a great night for it, because this planet is near the moon. The star Antares is also nearby.

Bruce McClure

July 6, 2017

Moon, Antares, Saturn at nightfall

On July 5, 2017 watch for the moon, star Antares and planet Saturn. Can you see their colors - and Antares' twinkling - in the moonlit glare?

Bruce McClure

July 5, 2017

Watch for Venus in July 2017

Notice its change of position in front of the constellation Taurus, with bright Aldebaran and the dipper-shaped Pleiades star cluster.

Bruce McClure

July 2, 2017

1st quarter moon with Jupiter June 30

The dazzling planet Jupiter is near the first quarter moon on June 30. Enjoy the waxing moon and Jupiter on July 1, too!

Bruce McClure

June 30, 2017

Moon approaching Jupiter on June 29

Tonight – June 29, 2017 – you can’t miss the moon and king planet Jupiter, given a clear sky!

Bruce McClure

June 29, 2017

Moon in front of Cancer on June 26

Crescent moon in front of Cancer the Crab on June 26, 2017. Plus a word about the difference between signs and constellations of the zodiac.

Bruce McClure

June 26, 2017

Young moon after sunset June 25

From most places worldwide, except at far-northern latitudes, the moon will set better than hour after sunset on June 25. Look for it near the sunset point.

Bruce McClure

June 25, 2017

Moon and Venus before sunrise June 20

You can't miss them! Look east an hour or two before sunrise. Moon is the 2nd-brightest, and Venus the 3rd-brightest, objects in our sky after the sun.

Bruce McClure

June 19, 2017

Close and far moons

Peter Lowenstein in Zimbabwe contrasts the size of the May 27 waxing crescent moon, which was close to Earth, with the June 9 full moon, which was far from Earth.

Bruce McClure

June 16, 2017

Half-lit last quarter moon on June 17

Although appearing half-illuminated, the last quarter moon carries that name because it's three-quarters of the way from one new moon to the next.

Bruce McClure

June 16, 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.