Posts by

Bruce McClure

Stellar luminosity versus star brightness

Some extremely large and hot stars blaze away with the stellar luminosity of a million suns! But other stars look bright only because they're near Earth.

Bruce McClure

January 18, 2025

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

Meet Libra the Scales, a zodiacal constellation

The zodiacal constellation Libra the Scales is a fixture of the evening sky during Northern Hemisphere summer (Southern Hemisphere winter).

Bruce McClure

June 25, 2024

Zubenelgenubi is the alpha star of Libra the Scales

Zubenelgenubi - Alpha Librae - is a double star, and is the second brightest star in the constellation Libra the Scales.

Bruce McClure

June 23, 2024

Eta Aquariid meteors are richer from the Southern Hemisphere

The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is better in the Southern Hemisphere because sunrise comes later in May, where it's now autumn and they are moving toward winter.

Bruce McClure

May 1, 2024

Cor Caroli, named for the heart of a king

Cor Caroli is a binary star and the brightest star in the northern constellation Canes Venatici, the Hunting Dogs. Its name means Heart of Charles.

Bruce McClure

April 24, 2024

On the equinox, are day and night equal?

Day and night are mostly equal on the equinox. There's a bit more daylight because the sun is a disk, not a point, and Earth’s atmosphere refracts sunlight.

Bruce McClure

March 19, 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. 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.