Gaze Into the Infinite

Each year, the international ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition gathers the world’s most amazing images of the cosmos—galaxies, nebulae, and skies crowded with shimmering stars so beautiful, they almost defy belief. When they recently landed in my inbox, the vastness and beauty left me breathless. I immediately wanted to share them with you.

*NGC 2997: The Antlia Cabbage Galaxy © Xinran Li*

It also struck me how perfectly these images relate to next week’s free Quest for Eternal Sunshine event—Beyond This Realm, with world-renowned medium Tina Powers. Just as astrophotographers capture light from worlds hidden to the naked eye, Tina opens communication with realms that most of us cannot see directly, but many of us feel.

Both astronomy and mediumship invite us to step beyond the limits of what we think is possible and trust that the universe is infinitely larger, more mysterious, and more interconnected than we can imagine.

Consider just a few staggering facts:

Many scientists estimate that there could be over 2 trillion galaxies in the observable universe.

The light from some of the galaxies in these photos began its journey millions or even billions of years ago, long before humans—or even dinosaurs—walked the Earth. Our nearest large galaxy, the Andromeda Galaxy, is 2.5 million light-years away.
Ninety-five percent of the universe is made of “dark matter” and “dark energy”—substances we cannot see and do not understand, yet they shape everything. Only 5% of matter makes up everything we can see, touch, and measure.

So today, I invite you to gaze into infinite beauty and wonder.

*NGC 6164 and NGC 6165: The Dragon's Egg © Charles Pevsner*

*“Crown of Light” by Kavan Chay (New Zealand)*

*Zeta and the Joshua Tree © Dan Thompson*

Enjoy the full selection of winning and shortlisted photos that are being displayed at London’s National Maritime Museum here.

Myra GoodmanOctober 3, 2025