science-junkie The Astro Alphabet By Ethan Siege A is for Aurora, the Earth’s polar lights, as the Sun’s hot electrons help color our nights. B is for Black Hole, a star’s collapsed heart, if you cross its horizon, you’ll never depart. C is for Comet, with tails, ice, and dust, a trip near the Sun makes skywatching a must! D is for Dark Matter, the great cosmic glue that holds clusters together, but not me and you! E is for Eclipse, where the Moon, Earth and Sun cast light-blocking shadows that can’t be outrun. F is for Fusion, that powers the stars, as nuclei join, their released light is ours! G is for Galaxies, in groups and alone, house billions of planets with lifeforms unknown. H is for Hubble, for whom Earth’s no place; a telescope like this belongs up in space. I is for Ions, making nebulae glow; as they find electrons, we capture the show. J is for Jets, from a galaxy’s core, if you feed them right, they’ll be active once more! K is for Kepler, whose great laws of motion keep planets on course in the great cosmic ocean. L is for Libration, which makes our Moon rock, it’s a trick of the orbit; it’s tidally locked! M is for Meteors, which come in a shower, if skies are just right, you’ll see hundreds an hour! N is for Nebula, what forms when stars die, this recycled fuel makes cosmic apple pie. O is for Opaque, why the Milky Way’s dark, these cosmic dust lanes make starlight appear stark! P is for Pulsar, a spinning neutron star, as the orbits tick by, we know just when we are. Q is for Quasar, a great radio source, accelerating matter with little remorse.