The Hubble Space Telescope was used to create this image of NGC 3982, a spiral galaxy 68 million light years away. Looking at objects in space is also a look back in time, since it takes the light many years to reach us. If we find evidence for life in such galaxies, will that life still exist in the present day or be an echo of the past? Image credit: NASA/ESA/Stephen Smartt (University of Cambridge)