Posts by

Bruce McClure

Dates of sun’s entry into each sign of the Zodiac

Dates for the sun's entry into each sign of the Zodiac (and corresponding ecliptic longitude) for the year 2015.

Bruce McClure

January 21, 2015

When is the next meteor shower?

No major meteor showers are predicted until the Lyrid shower, peaking on the morning of April 23, 2015. Between now and then ... fireball season!

Deborah Byrd

Bruce McClure

January 7, 2015

Planetary alignment January 4 will make us weigh less? Of course not

The idea we will all weigh less and even experience a floating sensation due to a planetary alignment on January 4, 2015 (#zeroday) is entirely false. Sigh.

Deborah Byrd

Bruce McClure

January 2, 2015

Days of darkness this December? Of course not.

Heard the rumor that "NASA says" Earth will experience several days of total darkness in December 2014? Not true, of course.

Bruce McClure

Eleanor Imster

Deborah Byrd

December 1, 2014

Is the October 8, 2014 full moon a supermoon?

There's disagreement on whether the October 8, 2014 full moon should be called a supermoon. If it is one, it's a super Hunter's Blood Moon ... in eclipse.

Bruce McClure

October 7, 2014

Moon and Mercury low in west after sunset September 25 and 26

Try to catch the young moon, Mercury and star Spica in the sunset direction on September 25 and/or 26. Best seen from S. Hemisphere. N. Hemisphere viewers ... try it!

Bruce McClure

September 25, 2014

Longest lunar month of 2014 starts on August 25

The longest lunar month of 2014 starts with the August 25 new moon and ends September 24. All you need to know about the varying lengths of the lunar months, here.

Bruce McClure

August 25, 2014

See three planets tonight

Jupiter, Mars, Saturn can all be seen easily on these June evenings.

Deborah Byrd

Bruce McClure

June 3, 2014

How do astronomers know Jupiter’s mass?

Astronomers use the orbiting moons of Jupiter - largest planet in our solar system - to find Jupiter's mass.

Bruce McClure

April 21, 2014

Mercury returns to the eastern, predawn sky

Mercury has returned to the east before dawn. It'll have a long apparition extending through April. Start watching Mercury now, and enjoy it for a month!

Bruce McClure

Deborah Byrd

February 28, 2014

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.