Posts by 

Bruce McClure

Halloween is an astronomy holiday. It’s a cross-quarter day

A cross-quarter day falls between an equinox and a solstice. Halloween is the year's 4th cross-quarter day and the spookiest of them all.

Around now, watch for Taurid fireballs

Maybe you've been watching for them already. A nominal peak of the shower is November 4 and 5, and the North and South Taurids are overlapping now.

Double Cluster in Perseus on October evenings

The Double Cluster in Perseus is a breathtaking pair of open star clusters, easy to see in October. Here's how to find it in your sky.

Gamma Cephei, aka Errai, a future North Star

Gamma Cephei - or Errai - is a binary star system that will one day be Earth’s North Star. It's home to the 1st exoplanet ever discovered.

See the Trifid nebula aka Messier 20 tonight

If you have a dark sky, you can spot the Trifid nebula as a fuzzy patch within the Milky Way. And binoculars or a telescope will reveal more details.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.