Who hasn’t looked up at the night sky and felt small? The vastness of space and the sudden realization of our own insignificance is enough to spark anxiety in anyone.

It doesn’t have to leave you in a pit of existential despair, though. Just ask NASA Astronomer and the star of Big Think’s Ask an Astronomer series, Michelle Thaller.

A meditation on cosmic insignificance.

Dr. Thaller recently appeared in an episode of the Meditative Story podcast. For those who haven’t heard of it, it is a series that combines guided mindfulness meditation with a well-told story about a transformative experience in someone’s life. In this episode, Dr. Thaller explains her childhood interest in the night sky and