Look up to the sky; night has fallen and we are far away from the next city. Here, silence is upon us. No light pollution, just an endless amount of twinkling stars above us. How small of a part we are in this grand universe. It seems almost ungraspable for us. Yet, this is exactly why the cosmos has been so enticing since we could put words to it. The universe comprises all of space, time, every imaginable element and particle. It is all there is and so much more: galaxies, planets, stars, matter, energy, and even black holes. We are right in it; it’s surrounding us. Maybe we, hence, carry part of the universe within us? It is everywhere and it is estimated that only about four per cent of it is visible; the remainder is surrounding us in invisible form. The universe is wider than our views of it – Henry David ThoreauIn 1920, astronomer Edward Hubble discovered that the universe is ever-expanding. Hence, it is constantly in motion and not static. It is infinite – a concept that is hard to wrap our heads around. We can fly into space, as the U.S. was proving to the world on July 20, 1969 with their first manned mission, Apollo 11, successfully landing on the moon. Nonetheless, only a tiny part of our cosmos is accessible to us and has been touched on. That leaves the question of what lies beyond the universe? Will we ever know? And what was before it came into existence – with the big bang or due to a higher power – some 13.7 billion years ago? It goes beyond our wildest dreams. Fact is, there are hundreds of billions of galaxies out there. Now, is there extraterrestrial life?Tangible Sky, Heavenly KissIt almost seems as if the Milky Way is descending, coming down to kiss the earth. There is so much we do not know about this space up there. We imagine, trying to understand what lies above and around us. But the universe maintains its magic as humankind will only be able to discover and know so much. Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. […] wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious – Stephen HawkingYet, curiosity about what’s “out there” is ultimately the fuel for our imagination. Our minds are racing. We try to picture what would await us beyond earth as we lift our hands in a seamless movement, trying to grasp and feel the stars. The sky appears tangible. The Universe a Touch AwayThe universe with its many stars, planets, suns, and galaxies seems unreachable for us. Yet, it looks like we can touch it so easily. Where will the Milky Way take us? Subtle light is tinting the scene in warmth. We are not alone. To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders – Lao TzuWith reference to the image, the “light of the universe” descends earthside. There is something so serene, almost devout and reverent about the atmosphere. The church and the Milky Way meet. A symbol for science and religion – the two schools of thought about how our earth, our universe, came into being – melting together? Heaven and earth are meeting one another. An almost spiritual and otherworldly capture of universal powers embracing earthly creations. And we wonder about life far away, in another world. The seemingly descending Milky Way is gently touching the Church of the Good Shepherd. This ultimately creates the bond between the supernatural and earthly spiritual.