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Tonight there were as many as grains of sand, a boundless cosmic beach, with a black ocean stretching infinitely behind (it).

Why and why not?

I get both instances on Google:

... it is a likeable geometry that covers up a mystery stretching infinitely behind it (but science hates a mystery). [Source]

It's right on an unknown, barely visited beach with the estuary lapping within yards of the door and meadows stretching infinitely behind. [Source]

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  • You should add links to the examples you found, not a search results page.
    – user3169
    Commented Apr 29, 2015 at 2:04
  • @user3169 How about now?
    – wyc
    Commented Apr 29, 2015 at 2:14
  • In traditional English grammar, this would be the difference between the prep. behind and the adv. behind.
    – Damkerng T.
    Commented Apr 29, 2015 at 3:21

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Tonight there were as many as grains of sand, a boundless cosmic beach, with a black ocean stretching infinitely behind (it).

First case scenario:

Omitting it, you get the adverb behind that modifies the verb stretching. Where is the ocean stretching? Behind.

Second case scenario:

Using it, behind functions as a preposition that sits before the pronoun it (which replaces the beach) and shows its relationship with the ocean.

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