ISM
A poem about the Interstellar Medium.
Infrared radiation penetrates deeply,
due to the low optical depth —
to penetrate in the depths of molecular clouds.
Far from thermodynamic equilibrium
[a few MeV]
hot stars chip away electrons from dust grains.
Imagine a supernova remnant
& its magnetohydrodynamic waves;
once a molecule is excited,
it eventually returns to a lower energy state,
emitting a photon which can leave the region,
cooling the cloud…tickling kelvin’s zero;
absolute — resolute, in stasis: quiet quanta.
