In his 1750 book An Original Theory or New Hypothesis of the Universe, Thomas Wright explores his theory of the cosmos, offering a groundbreaking vision of the universe. The book is written in the form of letters to a friend and presents Wright's ideas on the universe's structure, the movement of celestial bodies, and the nature of time, eternity, and the soul.

Wright was the first to propose that star clusters, which we now recognize as galaxies, were too distant for clear observation. He also suggested that the Milky Way’s blur was simply an optical effect caused by our immersion within it. This theory predates the work of Sir William Herschel and Caroline Herschel by two decades and influenced Immanuel Kant’s theory of the heavens in 1755.

Born in 1711 in County Durham, Wright was a polymath skilled in mathematics, science, and the arts. He is best known for his work as a garden designer, and his only other published book is a study of the antiquities of County Louth, Ireland. Wright’s An Original Theory includes 32 plates illustrating his ideas, ranging from simple observations of the night sky to more complex diagrams of the universe's structure.

His later ideas, such as the concept of a solid sky with inward-pointing volcanoes, were less scientifically grounded. However, his works remain notable for their visionary scope, blending scientific inquiry with a spiritual interpretation of the cosmos. Wright passed away in 1786, having reconciled the challenges of human nature with his vast, cosmic vision.