Astronomy Picture of the Day, 25th February 2014
The more than seven sisters wove this skein
From stars and dust and time and bright and sky
And laid it out there burning — by and by
We learned to see it, so we gain
Slow knowledge of the universe seen plain
In plainest shining beauty, we ask why
And maybe learn the answers, and we try
Hypotheses and hopes — the stars remain.
O hydrogen that fuses blue and bright!
O gravity that whirls us as we lie!
O interweaving dance of stars and sky
That marks unsleeping hours of the night!
From where we stand to wish upon a star
We dream of increments to reach that far.
25th February 2014
