Posts by

Bruce McClure

Happy Friday the 13th: It’s the 2nd of 2 in 2024

When a year with 366 days starts on a Monday, it's inevitable Friday the 13th will occur twice. In 2024, Friday the 13th comes in September and December.

Bruce McClure

December 13, 2024

Meet Pisces the Fish, 1st constellation of the zodiac

Pisces the Fish is a zodiac constellation that is high in the sky on December evenings. Look for it and its asterism, the Circlet of Pisces.

Bruce McClure

Kelly Kizer Whitt

December 10, 2024

See Orion’s Belt as a celestial bridge between hemispheres

Many know Orion's Belt, a short, straight row of 3 stars. Orion's Belt is considered a celestial bridge between the sky's Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Bruce McClure

Editors of EarthSky

November 13, 2024

Mirach is your guide star to finding 3 galaxies

Mirach in the constellation Andromeda helps stargazers locate the Andromeda Galaxy, the Triangulum Galaxy, and "Mirach's Ghost" (NGC 404).

Bruce McClure

Shireen Gonzaga

November 10, 2024

Cassiopeia and Perseus on October evenings

Cassiopeia and Perseus are neighbors in the fall sky. Use Cassiopeia's distinctive W or M shape to locate the dimmer Perseus on autumn and winter evenings.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

October 20, 2024

Delta Cephei helps measure cosmic distances

Delta Cephei is an inconspicuous variable star in the northern constellation Cepheus the King. This important star helped establish the cosmic distance scale.

Bruce McClure

Shireen Gonzaga

September 24, 2024

The Wild Duck cluster, M11, a lovely open cluster in Scutum

The Wild Duck cluster, also known as M11, is an open star cluster in the constellation Scutum that appears best through binoculars or a telescope.

Bruce McClure

August 8, 2024

M6 and M7: Open star clusters in the Scorpion’s Tail

M6 and M7 are star clusters near Scorpius’ stinger. But you’ll need a dark sky to see these faint but stunning stellar aggregations.

Bruce McClure

EarthSky Voices

July 18, 2024

What are star trails, and how do I photograph them?

Star trails are long-exposure photographs of stars taken as Earth turns, resulting in streaks of light across the sky. Here's how to photograph star trails.

Bruce McClure

July 14, 2024

Coathanger cluster: This star pattern looks like its name

The Coathanger cluster resembles its namesake and is easy to spot with binoculars, using the star Albireo - part of the Summer Triangle - to find it.

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

July 9, 2024

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. He's 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.