Images that sparked the Fire of Curiosity

Hey Folks,

After reading thread after thread of thoughts of war, and the killing of civilians, it struck me that a thread that focused on something beautiful and pure was, perhaps, in order. This is my first thread, so I apologize if this is not in the vein of the site, but I believe that most people who post/troll here are inherently curious people, and I was wondering, what image inspired that curiosity? Was there one picture, or article, that truly sparked your imagination, and started you down your course? Since we have so many different types here on ATS, I thought it might be interesting to see whether we have some common experiences, or perhaps, just common interests. Sp, please, share your story, your pictures.

Personally, I have a big interest in astronomy and physics. If I had the chance to go through college again, I would probably have more seriously considered a degree in the field. With the interest of what's out "there" usually comes the idea of Who might be out there. One of the most incredible pics I had ever seen was one very similar to the following:




Knowing that Man, or an artifact thereof, had indeed landed on an Alien world and that Mars was such a beautifully desolate place, made my heart sing.