Sophia Bush recently turned 35, and headed to celebrity tattoo artist Dr Woo to mark the occasion. She posted photos of the process on her Instagram stories – and her chosen ink has a fascinating meaning.

The actress’ minimalist starburst design appears to have been inspired by the cover of the Voyager Golden Record, a phonograph recording launched into space 40 years ago.

Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were robotic probes sent to study the outer Solar System in 1977. Inside each spacecraft was a basic self-assembly record player and a gold-plated copper disc containing sounds and images from Earth.

The contents of the Golden Records were selected for NASA by the late astronomer and astrophysicist Carl Sagan, and were intended to depict our planet’s life and culture to any extra-terrestrial life forms who might encounter them.

Sophia Bush’s new tattoo has a fascinatingly deep meaning behind it