The moon rose full and bright on Sunday evening the textures of its surface clearly visible to the naked eye. Close to the horizon, our near neighbour looks huge, thanks a trick of perception we call the moon illusion. In reality, the moon is no bigger at the horizon than it is high in the sky.
Making its second appearance in the month - the first was on May 1 - it was a blue moon. Not only that, it was a micromoon, rising at its furthest point from the earth, although no one told our brains that because it still looked huge.
Watching it rise, it was hard not to feel awe and wonder and not just at the moon itself. A few days earlier, I'd interviewed someone who stands to get much closer to it than the rest of us earthlings.
Katherine Bennell-Pegg is Australia's first female astronaut. She's also our 2026 Australian of the Year. Our conversation only went for half an hour but I'm still feeling uplifted days later. Her story is all about finding a dream early and pursuing it with utmost focus.
From the little girl who gazed at the stars from her backyard, to the teenager who excelled at school and learned to fly before she could drive, who did her work experience at the Murriyang Radio Telescope at Parkes, to the young adult studying engineering, to the accomplished space engineer, Katherine never gave up on the dream of becoming an astronaut.
When the European Space Agency opened astronaut training to Australians with European or UK heritage in 2021, Katherine was one of thousands who applied and was selected. A year and a half of intense training followed. Centrifuges to mimic G forces, training to escape confined spaces under water, trips in the "vomit comet" aircraft to simulate zero gravity (she didn't vomit), even learning Russian. All while being the director of technology at the Australian Space Agency, working to develop our own space ecosystem, and the mother of young children.
Katherine survived all knockout rounds and graduated in 2024, becoming eligible to join future missions to the International Space Station.
Having worked on the design of the recent Artemis 2 journey around the moon and further into space than humans have gone before was thrilling for Katherine and her family.
"As an astronaut to see people that I've met in the training go up and do such an incredible job was really moving," she told me. "They were role models for all of us, including other astronauts."
Role models for role models. Even the most accomplished among us have people they look up to and aspire to be like. Growing up, Katherine was inspired by two other Australians who'd made into space, Andy Thomas and Paul Scully-Power, by becoming US citizens, which enabled them to join NASA's program.
Now, she's the role model for the next generations of young Australians whose gaze is fixed on the heavens.
The Artemis program is now focused on getting humans back on the lunar surface and establishing a permanent base there. Australia will play a critical role in that venture.
My conversation with Katherine Bennell-Pegg made the moon seem closer than ever.
HAVE YOUR SAY: As a child, what did you dream of becoming? Who were your role models? Do you ever wish you'd chosen a different career path? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
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THEY SAID IT: "Up there you can make discoveries you can't make down here, with gravity and the atmosphere we have in the way." - Katherine Bennell-Pegg, 2026 Australian of the Year
YOU SAID IT: When Angus Taylor called Anthony Albanese an "arrogant prick" in the parliament there was outcry. But his barb was nothing compared to the insults which used to be commonplace in the House of Representatives.
"Sadly, Angus Taylor's insult is getting traction on social media," writes Fiona. "Astonishingly (why am I still astonished?), the Coalition's ineptitude on parliamentary processes last week was not castigated and their failed attempts have also been picked up as microsecond grabs, without commentary that they just don't know how to use parliamentary processes. And yes, I occasionally search out Keating compilations to remember when politics was fun and when reform was expected not seemingly impossible."
Ian G. writes: "Keating's jibes were entertaining, but maybe you had to be a Labor supporter to think so. The wit helped to soften or downplay the aggression and nastiness, and also suggest some degree of intellect. However, unimaginative words like 'arrogant prick' suggest a dim-witted petulance that does nothing to enhance the position or argument of the speaker. Keating's wit also didn't advance his argument, but could cleverly divert attention from the issue. I agree that it would be in everyone's interest to focus on the issues rather than personal insults, except of course for a certain red-headed politician who is happy to insult and denigrate whole races, religions, and nationalities."
"Angus Taylor should be ashamed of himself as should any other politician who thinks such behaviour is clever or smart," writes Arthur. "There is no excuse for attacking the personal integrity of anyone. It is both disgusting and appalling. It sets a very bad example for all Australians. It is leadership of the worst kind. He should have been removed from the chamber for at least the remainder of the session as well as facing other hefty penalties."
Ally writes: "Colourful language is all well and good in or out of parliament and serves us well to make one feel better (more often than not about oneself). But let's face it, what's truly important is the intention, consistency and integrity behind those words, and I ask you, who in parliament actually possess those qualities in this day and age? I can only think of one or two, and sadly, it's certainly not from the two main parties available to us for so long."
"Oh thank you, dear Echidna, for providing the opportunity to discharge highlights shot across the political battlefield from the barrel of Paul Keating's mouth," writes Daniel. "Here are two of my favourites: 'Just because you swallowed a f***ing dictionary when you were about 15 doesn't give you the right to pour a bucket of shit over the rest of us.' On the Coalition: 'A party of primitives, throwbacks to 19th century robber-baron capitalism, those who believe that what we should do is make way for the wealthy because in their slipstream the rest will pick up something on the way through.' Comparing the cut and wit of Keating to the narcolepsy-inducing utterances of Angus Taylor, Keating's mouth is a howitzer, Taylor's is a pea-shooter. Or is that pee-shooter?
Ian C. writes: "The insults someone chooses to use says more about them than the person they are insulting."
