Origins
Veronica Keff
March 31st, 2025
Major: Astrophysics, Minor in Mathematics
Genre/Medium: Digital comic (procreate), final version printed into foldable booklet
About the work:
“Origins” reflects on the history of observational astronomy and what Psyche may tell us about Earth’s past. 10 square frames unfold in a similar fashion to the Psyche spacecraft’s solar arrays, the reader embarking on a journey through time: through pyramids and temples, telescopes and multispectral imagers, travelling beyond Mars towards the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche. This massive hunk of metal in the asteroid belt may share properties with Earth’s core, and scientists are tasked with retracing the history of Earth and the other terrestrial planets from an object 500 million kilometers away. The Psyche mission reveals a possible future full of scientific discovery while simultaneously recalling the past of our home planet – our origin story.
While making this piece, I wanted to include elements of cave paintings and use one of the first art forms in humanity to illustrate the story of how astronomy started, and where it may take us in the future. The colors and textures of this piece are inspired by the Cueva de las Manos hand-paintings. The combined effort of the psyche team extends far into the vastness of space, beaming curiosity and discovery back to Earth.
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