This astrobiology illustration began with a very practical problem: a public lecture needed a strong visual, but there was no image that really fit the topic.
Many visuals around astrobiology felt either too generic, too decorative or scientifically questionable. So instead of searching hours for an image, I decided to create one myself.
The concept combines Saturn with the inner structure of a biological cell. The planet is partly opened, revealing stylized cell contents such as a nucleus and organelles. It brings together two completely different scales of the cosmos: a recognizable planet on the outside and the microscopic structures of life within.
Choosing Saturn was also a design decision. Mars would have been the more obvious astrobiological reference, but on a poster a rusty red sphere can easily become too ambiguous. Even from a distance Saturn is immediately recognizable as a planet. That clarity mattered.
The most challenging part was finding the right balance between both worlds. The illustration had to work as an eye-catching poster visual, but it also needed enough contrast and structure to make the idea understandable at first glance. The final color palette was especially important to connect the planetary and biological elements without losing readability.
For me, this piece is where science illustration becomes more than decoration. It creates curiosity, gives an abstract topic a visual form and invites people into a question that is much bigger than the image itself.