November 17 is an important day for fans of ATEEZ. On that date in 2018, the fandom name, ATINY, was announced, and each year the group and their fans come together to celebrate the anniversary of the special occasion through various activities and events!

ATEEZ’s song “Star 1117” was made in honor of ATINY day, with the “1117” standing for November 17 (11/17). The song is a beautiful tribute to the love that ATINYs and ATEEZ have for each other through the use of celestial analogies, such as “I’ll make you shine like a star” and “To you, the star that always watched for me”.

Most fans are also aware that there is certain symbolism that is important to ATEEZ’s ongoing lore and worldbuilding, even if you aren’t fully caught up with their complex story. One of the most frequently reoccurring symbols is an hourglass — it’s included in many ATEEZ music videos, is part of the group’s lightstick and other merch designs, and even made an appearance during some of their live performances.

What do the hourglass and ATINY Day have to do with each other? Well, on November 16, 2022 (which would have been November 17 in South Korean time), NASA made an incredible discovery that was perfect for the important anniversary day.

A very young star (called a protostar) is in the process of being formed in the center of a dark cloud called L1527. Located about 460 million lightyears from Earth, a photo was taken by the Webb Space Telescope using its near-infrared camera on this date. And in the image, it’s clear to see that the space surrounding the protostar looks like an hourglass shape!

The shape is created by light from the protostar (which is hidden in the neck of the hourglass) illuminating the cavities that are created as material is blown away from the protostar and comes into contact with other matter surrounding it. The colors of the cloud are created by layers of dust that lay between L1527 and the Webb Space Telescope, with blue caused by thinner layers of dust and orange by thicker layers.

The protostar within L1527 is considered a class 0 protostar, which is the earliest stage of star formation. As time passes, it will continue to gather mass until the core grows hot enough through compression for nuclear fusion to occur.

Even though the dark band of the hourglass where the growing star is located looks tiny, it’s actually about the size of our own solar system! According to NASA, “Ultimately, this view of L1527 provides a window into what our Sun and solar system looked like in their infancy.”

It’s amazing that such a stunning picture was taken on the same day as ATEEZ and ATINY celebrated the fandom’s anniversary back in 2022. The article from NASA about the image even included the sentence, “Shocks and turbulence inhibit the formation of new stars, which would otherwise form all throughout the cloud.” “Turbulence” is the name of one of ATEEZ’s most beloved songs, so the coincidence is even more endearing!

So, whether you think it was just coincidence or if there is some greater power at play, it’s still an awesome discovery that ATEEZ’s fans can enjoy!