Standing under the dark skies of Cherry Springs, I saw the Milky Way with my own eyes for the first time. It wasn’t just a faint cloud; it was a glowing river of ancient light. In that moment, the scale of the universe felt less like a math problem and more like a home.

I finally captured a clear shot of the Andromeda Galaxy from my backyard. It’s wild to think that the light hitting my camera sensor started its journey 2.5 million years ago, long before humans even walked the Earth.

My grandfather taught me the constellations using a rusted telescope in our backyard. He’d say, “The stars are a map for those who aren’t afraid of the dark.” Every time I look at Orion now, I feel like we’re still having that same conversation.