It started with a faint glow: the Zodiacal Light: sunlight reflected off a trillion tiny dust particles in the solar system, likely originating from the dusty sandstorms of Mars that left it's atmosphere in the timespan of many millions of years.

To complement the vision of our celestial neighbourhood, planet Venus shines brightly ahead, reflecting solar rays from her cloudy atmosphere, over a thirty millions of miles away.

Far beyond our own planetary system, literally of stars glow in a wide variety of colours and intensities, as the first signs of a new dawn slowly appear on the eastern horizon.
And with clear skies and enough contrast ahead, one can even make out the distinct curvature of the horizon at 37,000 feet, visible as long as the windows offer a wide enough perspective.

Even though my Boeing 747 travels around one-third of the planet tonight, it’s next to nothing compared to the distances across space and time that unfold beyond my cockpit.
No navigation screen or weather radar onboard reaches far enough to show me what’s really out there, except my own imagination and sense of wonder.
Who knows what lies beyond.

The stars are waiting.
Per aspera ad astra.