Planetary Landscape Poem by Harley White

The poem is in the form of a rondeau… NGC 1309, a majestic spiral galaxy nestled within a sea of distant companions, lies approximately 120 million light-years away from Earth. This Hubble image captures its sweeping spiral arms, dotted with vibrant blue star-forming regions, contrasting with the older, yellowish stars in its central bulge. Surrounded by numerous smaller galaxies, NGC 1309 is part of the Eridanus Group, offering a glimpse into the vast and interconnected cosmic web. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, L. Galbany, S. Jha, K. Noll, A. Riess