Astronomy is a visual experience, largely devoid of sound. Aside from the rare boom of a bolide, the controversial crackling of an aurora, or the whistling of meteors on a radio, we do not hear the heavens. But you can break this non-sound barrier this month if you open not only your eyes, but also your imagination.
Henry Wadsworth Long-fellow, one of my favorite poets, inspired me to hear the “voice” of the night. For instance, in his 1839 poem “Hymn to the Night,” he writes: “I heard the trailing garments of the Night / Sweep through her marble halls!” With these words, Longfellow transforms a mute vision into a sweeping gesture of elegant sound.
But did you know that early stargazers once imagined some
stars to be vociferous?
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