Voyager Passing a Nebula

Original Art by Rob Rey

The Voyager 1 spacecraft became the first human made object to enter interstellar space in 2012. At a distance of more than 20 light-hours, it is the furthest any human made object has ever traveled from Earth. In case it is ever found by intelligent life, Voyager carries a golden phonograph record of sounds and images of earth.

“The engineers projected a one-billion-year shelf life for the golden phonograph records. How long is a billion years? In a billion years the continents of Earth would be so altered that we would not recognize the surface of our own planet. One thousand million years ago, the most complex life forms on Earth were bacteria. In the midst of the nuclear arms race, our future, even in the short term seemed a dubious prospect. Those of us privileged to work on the making of the Voyager message did so with a sense of sacred purpose. It was conceivable that, Noah-like, we were assembling the ark of human culture, the only artifact that would survive into the unimaginably far distant future.”
– Ann Druyan

6 x 8 inches
Oil on Panel
May be used as a study for a larger painting

$550 $550

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About the Artist

Rob Rey

Art to help make science a more meaningful part of our lives. Cosmic Perspective is using the insights of modern science to see the big picture of the world and our place in it with a sense of belonging and connection. It’s understanding our scale within the universe - being humbled by a grand and awe-inspiring expanse of space and deep time. But it’s also seeing the very small with a sense of wonder for the staggering complexity of biology, chemistry, and quantum mechanics. Making an effort to comprehend the cosmos has a way of putting our lives, troubles, and pride in a helpful frame of reference, allowing us to refocus on what matters most. When we see the Earth as a lonely blue speck of oasis, it naturally sparks feelings of fellowship with all other earthlings. Through this panoramic lens, our terrestrial disputes and nationalist contentions are reduced to insignificance. Empathy and compassion become obvious ways to relate to one another. In a time when our traditional sources of meaning are growing less resonant, Cosmic Perspective provides a new and inspiring scientific origin story of humanity, united by our shared atomic history as stardust. It provides a sense of kinship with all life on earth in our shared genetic evolution over four billion years of development. It provides a sense of belonging and responsibility as a crew member on this spaceship Earth, of which humanity now sits at the helm. It provides hope in our capacity to reason and understand the cosmos of which we are part, giving us new powers to cure disease and improve our lives. It provides us with purpose and necessitates cooperation to preserve and cherish our tiny planet, the only habitable place we know to exist. More ways to support Rob's work: More Originals: https://www.robreyfineart.com/collections/114297 Print Shop: https://robrey.storenvy.com