(On December 31, 2025 Lucy Hambly was a guest on CBC Radio providing a return visit for a year-end interview with Giacomo Panico during which she highlighted the three stellar events that made 2025 exciting and those occurring in 2026. Photo: Mandy Hambly)
Lucy Hambly likes nothing better than talking, writing and sharing her passionate enthusiasm for Astronomy, especially when being interviewed. On December 31, 2025 Lucy appeared on CBC Radio for another year-end interview with Giacomo Panico, host of In Town and Out, to recap the highlights of the exciting events that occurred in our night sky in 2025. As many know and enjoy reading, Lucy has been writing a knowledge-filled monthly article for Stittsville Central since April, 2023 in which she highlights the upcoming Astronomy events for each month.
During her CBC interview, we’ll provide a synopsis of what listeners heard about the stellar events that made 2025 an exciting year for Lucy. Her number one event – the Lunar Eclipse in March, and as Lucy indicated they aren’t rare, but are the easiest to see without a telescope or other equipment for sky watchers. Her next event was the 30-metre Quasi-Moon (2025 PN7) that was discovered and orbits the sun, but not the moon. It’s been in existence for approximately 60 years and is one of seven that orbit in the same path. Her third event is the July discovered Comet named 3I/ATLAS being the third interstellar comet that was discovered by the Atlas telescope and may be the oldest comet ever discovered.
For 2026, Lucy is looking forward to the ARTEMIS II Mission – the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft and the first crewed mission flying within the vicinity of the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. It is a 10-day lunar flyby around the moon with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen on board. No Canadian astronaut has done what he will be accomplishing. On this mission, Earth will loose contact with the astronauts as they travel around the dark side of the moon as took place with Apollo 17. It is proposed that ARTEMIS III will land on the moon.
Viewing the solar eclipse in Iceland this year would be a dream come true for Lucy. Graduating this year Lucy, will be waiting to receive her university acceptance letters. She will see where they take her either studying Physics and Astronomy or Physics and General Science and is looking to specialize further along her education path.
“What should people know who are not into star gazing?” asked Giacomo. “It’s easy to start as people are not aware of the events in our sky that happen every month,” Lucy said, “Since writing my column every month (for Stittsville Central) I have learned that there is something going on every month, for instance meteor showers you can see every month. It is never too late, there is always a chance to learn more”, ended Lucy.
For those who may have missed Lucy’s CBC interview with Giacomo Panico, take a few minutes and listen to it at this link.
We at Stittsville Central are eager to see what’s next for Lucy when she graduates from South Carleton High School later this year. Meanwhile, we are looking forward to what the months ahead will bring to the night sky through Lucy’s monthly articles.