The Cosmos Issue

For millennia, we’ve looked to the stars for direction, divination, inspiration, and answers. Ancient civilizations built entire mythologies around them. Scientists have devoted lifetimes to deciphering them. In April 2025, Katy Perry went to space. For approximately 11 minutes. She sang Louis Armstrong on the way home. Meanwhile, Elon Musk wants to colonize Mars, Jeff Bezos is busy selling the heavens to the highest bidder, and Richard Branson is trying to make space tourism happen. Which all got us thinking. What is it about the cosmos that has us so captivated? Is it the possibility of discovering other life? The promise of new worlds?

Welcome, then, to Sorbet’s COSMOS Issue, an expedition through the celestial, the scientific, the speculative, and the completely ridiculous. We’ve assembled astronomers, artists, astrologers, actors, and assorted space cadets to consider everything from the origins of the universe to the end of the world. There are alien encounters, parallel dimensions, lunar ambitions, and black holes. We ask what would happen if the Moon disappeared, whether Mercury retrograde deserves its dreadful reputation, and why successive American presidents have had quite so much to say about extraterrestrials. Somewhere between astrophysics and astrology, we may even discover who’s responsible for your love life. And our cover star Hiba Bennani, has been enjoying a rather impressive ascent of her own. Following her dangerous turn in Slow Horses, we photographed her adorned in Buccellati’s exquisite high jewelry. We discuss espionage, identity, ambition, and the changing possibilities for Arab women on screen.

Perhaps the most important reason to turn our attention to the cosmos isn’t to work out how to escape Earth, but to remember what an extraordinary place it is.

After all, there’s no place like home.

At least, not yet.