The Astronomer and His Kitty

Arcadio Poveda and Sushi admire a twinkling star.

One of my favorite things about working on my book is the amazing people I get to meet. Like Arcadio.

His full name is Renán Arcadio Poveda Ricalde, a prominent Mexican astronomer who developed a method to calculate the mass of elliptical galaxies. I can barely wrap my brain around the distance between Earth and the Sun!

So, how could I best represent the Universe and his love for it - and for his kitty - in a single image? Well, I got him a crystal star. And Arcadio shared its wonders with his furry friend.

While feeling so grateful to meet such luminaries, this shoot was also tinged with a bit of sadness. See, Arcadio has dementia now. It seems so unfair for someone of this intelligence. But he is very lucid when it comes to two things: astronomy, and his cats. Witnessing his sweet interaction with Sushi reminded me that of the power of love can transform anyone.