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A Bow Shock Near a Young Star

Image Credit: NASA and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
Acknowledgment: C. R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University)

Now near the Twins behold Orion rise;
His arms extended measure half the skies:
His stride no less. Onward with steady pace.
He treads the boundless realms of starry space,
On each broad shoulder a bright star display'd,
And three obliquely grace his hanging blade.
In his vast head, immers'd in boundless spheres,
Three stars less bright, but yet as great, he bears;
But farther off removed, their splendour's lost;
Thus grac'd and arm'd, he leads the starry host.

Manilius (c. 1st century AD)

This photo comes from the Hubble Heritage Project Homepage, which is describes its mission as follows:

"The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a research tool dedicated to scientific studies of nature. Enroute to illuminating the forces shaping our cosmos, HST has accumulated a cosmic zoo. The Hubble Heritage Project sees this instrument also as a tool for extending human vision, one that is capable of building a bridge between the endeavors of scientists and the public. By emphasizing compelling HST images distilled from scientific data, we hope to pique curiosity about our astrophysical understanding of the universe we all inhabit."

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Find more space-related poetry at Best Astronomical Quotations and Poetry and Space Poems, Poetry&Prose.