Quarterly Update: Lunar Missions, Exoplanets, and Community Outreach

As we wrap up the first quarter of 2026, the celestial event that’s most on my mind is the journey to the moon currently underway. The first human exploration of the lunar surface took place over a brief three-year period, from 1969 to 1972. I was just six years old when Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt left the moon, so it took a few more years before I began to fully appreciate the profound significance of what humanity had achieved in that short window of time.

From about the age of 10 onwards, I became absolutely enthralled by the Apollo 17 mission in particular. As Cernan wrote about his time there, “I can instantly transport myself back to the valley I once called home, a place where I had a house, a job, a car and commuted to work.” He and Jack Schmitt spent three days living in the Taurus-Littrow valley, covering roughly 22 miles in their Lunar Roving Vehicle to better understand the geological history of our planetary neighbor—and in turn, shedding light on the origins of the solar system itself. By that time, the astronaut life-support backpacks had been improved to allow up to 8 hours of surface exploration per day.

It always seemed a shame to me that the Apollo program came to an end just as we had started doing real, extended exploration. If you want a phenomenal account of that final 1972 mission, I highly recommend Gene Cernan’s book, "The Last Man on the Moon," which we carry in the shop. It doesn't just give you the sterile, technical rundown; it gives you the raw, unfiltered human toll it took to get there. It’s a beautifully honest story.

It was out of nostalgia for Apollo that I organized an event with The Planetary Society to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Moon landing back in 1994. I took this image of the Moon in 2021 and highlighted the Apollo landing sites with little yellow triangles because, whenever I look up, I can’t help but think about those astronauts. I used to wonder what it must have been like for people in the sixties and seventies to gaze at the Moon and know there were humans up there. I never expected to have that opportunity in my lifetime. Until today, the only way to feel about humans traveling to the Moon was with a sense of nostalgia.

As I write these words, that’s about to change. In a little over an hour, the crew of Integrity will commence their Trans-Lunar Injection (TLI) burn and head out toward the Moon.

As my subscribers will have already seen, we’re running a special discount on all Moon-related merch in our observatory store to celebrate humanity’s return to the lunar surface. Aside from Cernan's book, here are a couple of my favorites:

In the apparel category, we are featuring our Apollo-themed T-shirts from celebrated artist Thomas Romer. The design shows a stunning, high-definition close-up of an Apollo astronaut's helmet visor with the Lunar Module sitting in the background. In my view, Thomas beautifully captures the spirit of Apollo with this design.

I also want to highlight our beautiful Artemis Necklace, handcrafted by Yugen Handmade, a women-owned studio in Maryland. It’s a lovely tribute to humanity’s next great leap in space exploration.

There are two other pieces of observatory news I’d like to share. First, I am delighted to announce that last week I received a certificate of recognition from the renowned American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) for my “invaluable contribution” to their Exoplanet Database. That is definitely something I will proudly display on the wall of my workshop!

Finally, I am thrilled to share that later this month, Bracken Observatory will have a booth at our local Tinkers & Thinkers exhibition, bringing the wonders of deep space directly to the Pleasant Hill community. Our interactive exhibit will include a visual astrophotography gallery paired with multiple hands-on learning stations designed to engage kids of all ages. In addition to our interactive stations, we will feature a digital video loop of our celestial captures and host a free drawing for families to win a premium, hardcover science book. We can't wait to inspire the next generation of Pleasant Hill astronomers!

Thanks again for all your support, and remember to keep looking up!