Space was never so dark and empty as it was in the middle of the 20th
century. 50 years earlier space was illuminated by stars like the sun
and alien life was anticipated. Today space is again a crowded place
with interactions and collisions and filled with a modern ether. I
will discuss how the emptiness of the 1950's came about and give some
examples of how astronomers, illustrators and artists have treated
the problem of depth, void and nothing at all.
