“M31 09-01-2011” by Torben Hansen. downloaded from flickr 1.17.2025 CC BY 2.0
“Nocturnal Tranqulity” by Skye Jordan. downloaded from dig.ccmixter 1.17.2025 CC BY 4.0
The vastness of space has always interested me. Something is mesmerizing about the way stars and space seem to go on forever in the night sky. This is an image of M31, otherwise known as the Andromeda Galaxy. This image, “M31 09-01-2011” by Torben Hansen, captures millions of stars and at least three galaxies. The Andromeda galaxy is the closest to our own, the Milky Way, about 2.5 million light-years away. The audio clips enhance this image by playing calming and dreamy music. As I listen to this music and stare at the image, a sense of serenity washes over me allowing my mind to drift into deep reflection about our existence. What is the purpose of life? Is there other life out there? I like to ponder these questions and am reminded to sometimes take a moment, reflect, and appreciate the complexities and beauty of life. We are so small in the grand scheme of things, yet we are deeply interconnected to everything around us. I hope you all enjoy the picture and audio and take time to reflect on your own lives and the wonder of space.
Hello Kristopher,
The image you selected is a densely packed piece of astrophotography encompassing an almost incomprehensible volume of space and celestial bodies. On its own, I find it difficult to truly wrap my mind around what is being depicted. These types of images are commonly used in educational and advertising contexts, so much so that it is easy to forget that they are genuine photographs of entire galaxies beyond our own. I see why you decided to center your post on existentialist meditations- one minute of contemplation begets another, until you’re completely consumed by the thoughts and, if you’re anything like me, a little freaked out. The soundscape you selected doesn’t quite support this thought process for me personally, however. The tune has a defined beat that holds my attention too closely to truly find myself lost in contemplation, though I definitely understand why you selected it for its groovy, psychedelic tone.
From a technical perspective, your post is well formatted. Your image is formatted and sized properly, the links work, and the post substantiates the context for your post. One quick suggestion is to create a new attribution credit for your derivative. You should be able to quickly edit your post and throw one in at the end.
Good work!
Hi Kristopher! The image you chose is really cool visually, and once coupled with the audio I felt transported. The image by itself is stunning and has a lot to look at. Likewise the audio by itself is beautiful and evokes a sense of peace. Together the image and audio create a sense of wonder and almost longing. I felt wonder at how vast space is and also a sense of longing. It’s hard to grasp how tiny and insignificant we are in the grand scheme of the galaxies.