Nightside is my independent science communications project, combining accurate reporting on spaceflight and planetary science with an original fictional framework. This project serves as both a place to share space science with a broader audience and a portfolio of my work in science communication. Nightside is a digital interstellar observatory dedicated to exploring the universe beyond Earth, inspired by real life space missions. Aphelion and Project: Endurance provide the thematic lens through which I explore humanity’s journey beyond Earth.

The term ‘aphelion’ refers to the point in the orbit of an astronomical body (such as a planet or a comet) is farthest from the Sun. Within the context of Nightside, Aphelion I represents leaving the familiar by creating enough distance to see what we know from a new perspective, and to make room for what we have yet to discover.

I look forward to connecting with you all, those who share the same passions or are learning about them for the first time. Wherever you find yourself along that journey, I hope you leave with a greater sense of curiosity, looking up at the stars a little more often and wondering what else might be out there.

“Do you believe in God? I know it’s a personal question. I do. And I think He was pretty awesome to make relativity a thing, don’t you? The faster you go, the less time you experience.

It’s like He’s inviting us to explore the universe, you know?”

~ Project Hail Mary