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Posts by
Bruce McClure
Meet Shaula and Lesath, Scorpion’s Stinger stars
Shaula and Lesath, known as the Stinger of the Scorpion, are easy to see at the end of the Tail of the constellation Scorpius.
July 6, 2025
Epsilon Lyrae is the famous Double Double star
To the unaided eye, Epsilon Lyrae appears as one star. But it’s actually a system with at least five stars. Learn how to find it here.
July 2, 2025
Latest sunsets follow the summer solstice
Why don't the latest sunsets come on the longest day (the solstice)? In a nutshell, it's a discrepancy between the sun and the clock.
June 24, 2025
Earliest sunrises (or sunsets) come before June solstice
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, your earliest sunrises of the year are happening around now. Southern Hemisphere? Your earliest sunsets are around now.
June 12, 2025
M5, your new favorite globular star cluster
M5 in Serpens Caput is a refreshing sight through a small telescope, as thousands of stars cluster together into the tightly packed ball of this globular cluster.
June 6, 2025
Look for equinox shadows in a direct line from west to east
Equinox shadows are unique. On this day - and only this day - the tip of an upright stick's shadow follows a straight path, west to east, all day long.
March 18, 2025
Look for amazing Omega Centauri, using Spica as a guide
Omega Centauri is the largest globular star cluster visible to the eye alone. In the spring, the star Spica can lead you to the giant globular cluster.
March 14, 2025
Meet Taurus, home to 2 fabulous star clusters
Taurus the Bull resides near the constellation Orion the Hunter. It contains 2 famous star clusters that are easy to spot; they are the Pleiades and the Hyades.
February 6, 2025
The mass of a star is determined from binary star systems
Binary stars - a star system consisting of two stars - are extremely useful. They give all the information needed to measure mass of a star. Here is how.
January 31, 2025
Sirius is a future southern Pole Star
Wait, what? It's true. The sky's brightest star, Sirius aka the Dog Star, will come to within 1.6 degrees of the south celestial pole in the year 66270.
January 30, 2025
