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Jupiter and voyager, 2023
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. After Venus, it is the brightest planet in the night sky, and it can be seen with the naked eye.
One of Jupiter’s most distinctive features is its bands, formed by turbulence and storms.
When I think of Jupiter, however, I am also reminded of other stories connected to it.
A few years ago, when I was working as an employee at a company in Korea, I was exhausted by work and had long since lost interest in observing the stars. Yet on my way home late at night, I often listened to the radio on the subway.
Then one day, I heard a story about the Voyager probe—its journey through space and its encounter with Jupiter. The way it was described felt like reuniting with someone far away, someone who had been deeply missed for a very long time.
When I heard this extraordinary story, it felt mysterious and, at the same time, overwhelming. But I also felt a sadness I could not explain.
After traveling for many years through the vast and empty universe,
alone,
to an unknown place where no one has ever been,
not knowing what might happen,
not knowing how far one can go—
even imagining such a journey is difficult for me.
In Eastern philosophy, there is a saying: “ Each person is a universe. ”
I, too, think of myself as a traveler in the universe of life.
Walking alone through an unknown darkness,
I wonder if this, too, is the journey of life.
From time to time, I still look at the stars like this,
and I think of the Voyager probe, now leaving the solar system and moving into distant space, hoping that its great journey will continue.
One of Jupiter’s most distinctive features is its bands, formed by turbulence and storms.
When I think of Jupiter, however, I am also reminded of other stories connected to it.
A few years ago, when I was working as an employee at a company in Korea, I was exhausted by work and had long since lost interest in observing the stars. Yet on my way home late at night, I often listened to the radio on the subway.
Then one day, I heard a story about the Voyager probe—its journey through space and its encounter with Jupiter. The way it was described felt like reuniting with someone far away, someone who had been deeply missed for a very long time.
When I heard this extraordinary story, it felt mysterious and, at the same time, overwhelming. But I also felt a sadness I could not explain.
After traveling for many years through the vast and empty universe,
alone,
to an unknown place where no one has ever been,
not knowing what might happen,
not knowing how far one can go—
even imagining such a journey is difficult for me.
In Eastern philosophy, there is a saying: “ Each person is a universe. ”
I, too, think of myself as a traveler in the universe of life.
Walking alone through an unknown darkness,
I wonder if this, too, is the journey of life.
From time to time, I still look at the stars like this,
and I think of the Voyager probe, now leaving the solar system and moving into distant space, hoping that its great journey will continue.