A wonder for everyone

IMAGE COURTESY NASA/JOEL KOWSKY

I've had this thought ever since I was a kid. I'd look at the big black ink sky, glittering with stars, and think to myself, "this is beautiful." I don't know why, but it always made me feel like I was part of something bigger than myself.

In elementary school, I'd watch every BrainPOP video about space I could find. I was obsessed. Though, as it turns out, I didn't exactly grow up to be the smartest person around.

For a long time, I thought loving space meant I had to become a scientist. I wasn't the kid who could calculate orbital mechanics or tell you the names of every constellation. As I got older, I figured astronomy wasn't meant for me.

In high school, I got into music production, and I had no clue what I wanted to write about. Eventually, I found myself going back to the same thing I'd always loved: space.

I wrote music inspired by the stars, and since the universe has found its way into almost everything I create. I realized I never stopped loving astronomy, but instead found my own way of connecting with it.

The wonder of space belongs to everyone. It isn't only for those solving impossible equations or building rockets. It's also for photographers chasing the Milky Way, artists painting galaxies, writers telling stories about distant worlds, or someone who simply enjoys sitting outside and staring up for a while.

My advice, look up to the sky. Even if it's for a glance and admire the vastness of the universe. Allow yourself to be curious. 

You never know where looking at the night sky might take you.