A jaw-dropping image of asteroid Ryugu has gone viral, but the reaction isn’t what scientists anticipated. While researchers celebrate the detailed view of this space rock, most viewers can’t stop staring at something else – the terrifying nothingness surrounding it.
The photo, taken by Japan’s Hayabusa-2 probe before it collected samples in 2020, shows Ryugu’s rugged surface with unprecedented clarity. But the pitch-black background has sparked an existential crisis online. “That infinite void makes my stomach drop,” admitted one commenter. Others compared it to staring into the abyss, with several noting how it makes Earth’s night sky seem positively cheerful by comparison.
Interestingly, astronauts report different experiences with space’s darkness. Apollo 11’s Michael Collins, who orbited the Moon alone, described feeling profound connection rather than loneliness. But for earthbound viewers, this image serves as a stark reminder of our tiny place in a vast, mostly empty universe – with Ryugu’s 1-kilometer bulk looking strangely vulnerable against the endless dark.
