Why you should feel comforted, not scared, by the vastness of space

Some people find the vastness of the universe intimidating, but there’s also a way to find solace in it.

This article is part of our Cosmic Perspective series, where we explore the immense scale of the cosmos and our place within it. You can read more in the series here.

On a chilly evening last October, I stepped into my garden to observe a faint patch in the night sky. To the naked eye, this patch is so dim that it’s easy to overlook. However, through binoculars, it reveals itself as an elongated streak with a bright core. This is the Andromeda galaxy, the farthest object visible without a telescope.

I often gaze at Andromeda during the winter, but I chose October 6, 2023, deliberately. It marked exactly 100 years since Edwin Hubble’s observations that would soon lead him to realize that Andromeda was not part of the Milky Way but a separate galaxy. As I stood there, I reflected on the fact that the light from Andromeda had traveled 2.5 million light-years to reach me.