Head in the Clouds... and Beyond

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I was born under the sign Pisces, so I tend to have my head in the clouds…a lot. I’m an artist and a dreamer, so when I was tasked to write about current events, I put my head back and looked towards the sky. Not because I’m unaware of what’s happening around us day to day. I’m deeply aware. I just don’t feel compelled to give it my voice. Instead, I turn my attention towards the stars.

Recently, the James Webb Space Telescope detected molecules that could be the earliest building blocks of life in a nearby galaxy. Small organic compounds – things like benzene and methane – that have never been observed before outside of the Milky Way. Traces of carbon-based materials too.

I’ll stop there before the science gets too dense (and before I start sounding like someone much more qualified – Hi, Neil deGrasse Tyson). But the astronomy nerd in me can’t help being completely fascinated. What fascinates me? A love of science that spans as far back as I can remember. One of the first gifts I can remember asking my parents for was a telescope. Being able to see the craters in the moon with my own eyes made space feel closer. Reachable. I lived to watch shuttle launches, transfixed by the enormity of it all. As I got older, I found something profoundly humbling in knowing that every atom in our bodies is made of the same stuff as the stars...being literally a part of the universe I was gazing into.

 Moments like this are grounding in the best way. They remind me just how vast the universe is, and how small we are within. Somehow that perspective feels comforting.

 

https://www.space.com/astronomy/james-webb-space-telescope/james-webb-space-telescope-finds-precursors-to-building-blocks-of-life-in-nearby-galaxy


JWST
JWST via Nasa.gov



Comments

  1. Abigail HarderFebruary 10, 2026 at 10:33 AM

    It's a perspective that I just adore. Not all responses to current events need to come from a sense of chaos or urgency. Sometimes, it's about having a step back moment and realizing how great things truly are. The way you wove your creativity and interest in the stars and universe together really made this feel grounded for me while reading.

    Such discoveries only serve to further reinforce just how enormous the universe is and how much there is still to be learned by mankind. Yes, as I say to my friends, gazing up at the stars is far more applicable as a perspective, especially in a world that can be overwhelming at times. Thanks for sharing something that evokes curiosity and serenity, not noise.

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