I’ve always found space and other intergalactic topics extremely interesting and thought provoking. A New Yorker article analogizes that if the universe is a beach, humans have explored a few grains of sand. If that isn’t enough to make you have an existential crisis, I don’t know what is. Of everything out there, my favorite is the Andromeda galaxy. This spiral galaxy is the closest galaxy to the Milky Way, be warned, though; it’s still 2.5 million light years away. However, scientists predict that within a few million years it will crash into the Milky Way and the collision will be visible to the naked eye from Earth. It’s disheartening to know that even if I eat vegetables until I practically turn into one, I will not be alive to witness the sight of it. I guess I'll just have to settle with knowing my great-great-great-great-great (x100) grandchildren will enjoy it.
When it comes down to it, there is so much unknown about the universe we call our home. How can we obsess over what outfit to wear tomorrow when there are hundreds of thousands of galaxies out there just waiting to be explored? One might say that I've taken one too many trips to the planetarium (which I can't deny), but these are pressing questions that demand answers. What else is out there? Are we here alone?