Posts by

Bruce McClure

Find the Lagoon and Trifid nebulae

Take a dip in the Lagoon and Trifid nebulae on these September evenings, especially if you're in a place where you can see the starlit band of the Milky Way.

Bruce McClure

September 3, 2016

Moon and Venus on September 3

Look for the moon and Venus low in the west shortly after sunset. Venus is bright and will appear against the bright twilight. Don't wait too late, or they will have set!

Bruce McClure

September 3, 2016

Ring of fire eclipse on September 1

Second and final solar eclipse of 2016. Moon too far away in its orbit to cover the sun completely so it's an annular or ring of fire eclipse.

Bruce McClure

August 31, 2016

Venus-Jupiter conjunction August 27

Spectacular Venus-Jupiter conjunction! They're the two brightest planets, and it's the closest conjunction of two planets in all of 2016. Don't miss it!

Bruce McClure

August 27, 2016

2016’s great Mars and Saturn conjunction

Mars, Saturn and the star Antares have made a triangle in our sky for months. Now see them in a straight(ish) line.

Bruce McClure

August 23, 2016

Quasi-conjunction of Mercury and Jupiter

Venus and Jupiter are super bright, near the sunset glare. Mercury is nearby.

Bruce McClure

August 19, 2016

Moon past full. How to see Neptune

Tonight's moon looks full but is already waning. This moon is near Neptune on the sky's dome. How to find Neptune when the moon moves away.

Bruce McClure

August 18, 2016

Mercury greatest elongation August 16

Mercury is in the west after sunset, and it's farthest from the sun tonight for this evening apparition. How to spot it.

Bruce McClure

August 16, 2016

Moon at southernmost point on August 14

It's like a solstice for the moon, and it happens monthly. Watch for the moon to appear low in Northern Hemisphere skies, and high in Southern Hemisphere skies.

Bruce McClure

August 14, 2016

Saturn stationary on August 13

A planet's "stationary point" doesn't mean it stops moving. In space, nothing ever stops moving. Instead, the "stationary point" is an Earth-centered illusion.

Bruce McClure

August 13, 2016

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.