Witness The Cosmos Up Close In Boerum Hill

Few of us will ever have the opportunity to leave Earth's atmosphere and experience the solar system up close. But lucky for those without NASA credentials, a skilled astrophotographer has brought the stars to Brooklyn by way of a vibrant art installation.

"The Universe in Color" is a solo exhibition by Robert Gendler feauturing stirring portraits of "distant galaxies, nebulae, star systems and other wonders of the universe located many thousands or millions of light years away," describe curators. The show will be on display at Grumpy Bert shop/gallery in Boerum Hill now through the end of March.

Gallerists tell us that one of the pieces, The Andromeda Galaxy (M31), was published in the 2008 Guinness Book of World Records as the largest image in pixel dimensions of a spiral Galaxy ever taken. 

Gendler, a Brooklyn native who currently resides in Connecticut and works as a physician, also received the "Hubble Prize" in 2007.

If that list of vitae doesn't sway you, check out the riotous swirls and bursts of light captured in Sword of Orion [pictured in our slideshow above]. Jaw-dropping doesn't begin to describe it.

Grumpy Bert is located at 82 Bond St. between Atlantic Avenue and State Street.