Friday, December 22, 2023

Exoplanet - Winter Lights

The winter season on Earth is marked by festivals of light to push back the darkness, but night has a different meaning on other worlds. Here we see a young, cold exoplanet covered in winter snow. The night sky is illuminated by an enormous nebula and the blazing light of countless new stars. Dark dust clouds are silhouetted against the glowing gases, and particularly brilliant star clusters cast their light across the frozen wastes. This world is far too young for life to have formed. Perhaps in billions of years - long after the nebula fades and the most massive stars in it die off - a sentient species like us will create their own winter festivals to drive back the darkness. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"