Starbuck says the colony is hiding in the accretion disk of a singularity. A quantum singularity is an accumulation of matter that is so dense that its gravity can even bend light (hence the name "black hole"). Typically, it is the remains of a collapsed star. An accretion disc is composed of assorted materials such as asteroids that are being pulled towards the center of the singularity. Because of the forces at work, the accretion disk involves a great deal of friction which is manifested as light and other radiation. The colony is hiding at a point where it can maintain a safe distance from the singularity but still be hidden by the material within the disc.
Plugged-in Sam says, "Slip the surly bonds of earth and touch the face of perfection." The ultimate aviation poem "High Flight" begins with "Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth and danced the skys on laughter silvered wings" then goes on for a hundred words and ends with "I've trod the high untrespassed sanctity of space, put out my hand and touched the face of god." Over time this got reduced, in the minds of flightless folk who never read the poem, into "I have slipped the surly bonds of earth and touched the face of god".
The scene involving Gaius Baltar and his father Julius (played by Antony Holland ) bears a resemblance to many scenes from the 1960s BBC TV Series Steptoe and Son (1962).