Scott MacNeill's Columns

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Celebration of Space - January 2, 2026
The first full Lunar phase of 2026 will occur on January 3, 2026, at 5:04 am. Considering that this is the closest full Moon to the Winter Solstice, which occurred on December 21, 2025, at 10:03 am, the Moon will be the highest in the sky of all full L... more
Dressing for All-Night Winter Stargazing
As the New England late-autumn sets in, and with it, the cooler temps of winter, stargazing starts to sound a bit relentless and the idea becomes as remote as a sunny day at the beach. Though the cold temperatures and potentially snowy landscape can be... more
Celebration of Space - June 20, 2025
Today, Friday, June 20, 2025 at 10:42 pm ET, Earth will arrive at the point in its orbit where the Northern Hemisphere is at maximum tilt, 23.4°, towards the Sun. This is the Summer Solstice, but most people know it as the first day of summer in the N... more
Celebration of Space - April 11, 2025
Today, April 11, 2025, marks 55 years since the launch of the Apollo 13 mission. This mission is infamous due to the catastrophic failure of an oxygen tank onboard after 55 hours in space. The resulting rupture resulted in the mission performing an orb... more