Hidden Wonders Poem by Harley White
Hidden Wonders
A spiral veiled by Milky Way
has been brought to light of day
in the image Hubble revealed
of a galaxy concealed.
Its brilliant core aquamarine
brightly glitters midst the scene
with backdrop of velvety red
cloud formations round it spread.
‘Twas hid beyond the astral glitz
plus cosmic dust, for it sits
near the equator of our home
galactic, where skyey dome
above us beings here on earth
witnesses the death and birth
of fleeting mortal lives that pass
neath the heavens' looking glass
in dream of floating bubble world
while by time's illusion hurled
with stellar pace through outer space
wearing ever-changing face.
Are the wanderings of the stars
echoed in our own memoirs
of this temporal excursion
with its toil and diversion?
Such musings metaphorical
sites phantasmagorical
that lie in heights beyond the blue
awaken in us anew…
The image of IC 342 is beautifully captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. The spiral galaxy is a mere 10 million light-years from Earth. European Space Agency officials said in a statement. ‘To capture an image like this one, the Hubble Space Telescope has to peer through the space dust, the glow of cosmic gas and the brightly lit stars that sit inside the Milky Way and ultimately obstruct the view of IC 342.'
The image of the galaxy isn't just remarkable because of how rare it is but also because of what the picture shows us about star births. The glittering aquamarine sparkles in the middle of the velvet-red cloud formations are the core of IC 342. Here, ionized hydrogen marks where new stars are arising.
Hubble's Hidden Galaxy
IC 342 is a challenging cosmic target. Although it is bright, the galaxy sits near the equator of the Milky Way's galactic disk, where the sky is thick with glowing cosmic gas, bright stars, and dark, obscuring dust. In order for astronomers to see the intricate spiral structure of IC 342, they must gaze through a large amount of material contained within our own galaxy — no easy feat! As a result IC 342 is relatively difficult to spot and image, giving rise to its intriguing nickname: the "Hidden Galaxy."
Located very close (in astronomical terms) to the Milky Way, this sweeping spiral galaxy would be among the brightest in the sky were it not for its dust-obscured location. The galaxy is very active, as indicated by the range of colors visible in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image, depicting the very central region of the galaxy. A beautiful mixture of hot, blue star-forming regions, redder, cooler regions of gas, and dark lanes of opaque dust can be seen, all swirling together around a bright core. In 2003, astronomers confirmed this core to be a specific type of central region known as an HII nucleus — a name that indicates the presence of ionized hydrogen — that is likely to be creating many hot new stars.
Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
This is beautiful poetry. Being a lover of anything related to universe and its wonders I like this poem very much. Thanks for posting. Enjoyed.10+++
Thank you very much for your marvelous words! I share in your wonderment of the universe and am most encouraged by your reaction to my poem!
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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5/2/2024 3:47:32 PM # 1.0.0.1119
Wonderment of universe has been well captured. Juxtaposed of poet's note helps to know more. I love the lines most are... above us beings here on earth witnesses the death and birth of fleeting mortal lives that pass neath the heavens' looking glass in dream of floating bubble world while by time's illusion hurled with stellar pace through outer space wearing ever-changing face. Marvelous poem, stunning expression. Thanks for sharing....10
I genuinely appreciate your careful reading and encouraging comment! Thank you!