Sophia Bush's Newest Tattoo Has A Way Deeper Meaning Than You Think

Update: After some (more) in-depth Instagram sleuthing, we discovered that Bush got the intergalactic — and oddly poetic — tattoo to match her two best friends, Ruthie Linsday and Jedidiah Jenkins. Turns out, Lindsay and Jenkins also got the Gold Record design — which symbolizes the importance of not feeling alone in this big world — on their forearms. That definitely beats BFF bracelets, now doesn't it?

Sophia Bush just celebrated her 35th birthday in the most Hollywood way: with a new tattoo. To commemorate the occasion, she headed to Dr. Woo — the L.A.-based tattoo artist behind Miley Cyrus and Cara Delevingne's ink — for a bit of ink. Last night, Bush posted to her Instagram story a few shots of Woo working his magic. while we have yet to see the final result, we did some sleuthing and found the design — which is epic and way deeper than it might appear at first glance.

The tattoo at hand: a piece of the Golden Record from the Voyager's POV, placed on Bush's forearm. ICYMI, the Golden Record has had a bit of revival lately, thanks to people wanting to send another time capsule back into space as a follow-up to the original. But even more, Bush is a fan of Carl Sagan, a famous astrophysicist who's work will, in fact, blow your mind.

Bush wrote on one of her Instagram stories, "Pale blue dot," arguably referencing Sagan's book of the same name. What's the story behind it? In reference to a photo of the earth taken by Voyager 1, the earth looks like a tiny dot in the center of scattered rays of light. "To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known," he has written.

It's no surprise Bush connects with Sagan's statements. She even ended her first birthday post with this, "And here I am. Stepping forward into another year. Stepping closer to home. That's what it's all about. Coming home to ourselves. And hopefully building a life we are damn proud of with a tribe we call family along the way."

This isn't the first time Bush has gotten a tattoo with a deeper meaning. Four years ago, she also got an equal sign to represent marriage equality; she also rocked a temporary tat of the Triangle of Freedom on the same forearm representing the charity Invisible Children Uganada. Needless to say, Bush is not afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve — or, in this case, an important reminder.