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[[Star]]s outside of the [[Solar System]] have been featured as [[Setting (narrative)|settings]] in works of fiction since at least the 1600s.
#REDIRECT [[Stars and planetary systems in fiction]]

== Early depictions ==
Among the earliest depictions of stars as locations that can be visited is [[Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle]]'s 1686 work ''Entretiens sur la pluralité des mondes'' (''[[Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds]]'').<ref name="SFEStars" /> The centuries that followed saw further such portrayals in [[Emanuel Swedenborg]]'s 1758 work ''[[De Telluribus in Mundo Nostro Solari]]''<!--Stableford refers to Swedenborg's earlier Arcana Cœlestia, an apparent error.--> (''Concerning the Earths in Our Solar System''), [[C. I. Defontenay]]'s 1854 novel ''[[Star ou Psi de Cassiopée]]'' (''Star: Psi Cassiopeia''), and [[Camille Flammarion]]'s 1887 novel ''[[Lumen (novel)|Lumen]]'', but they remained rare throughout this time period.<ref name="SFEStars" /><ref name="StablefordStar" /> The early 1900s saw a few further interstellar voyages with [[Robert William Cole]]'s 1900 novel ''[[The Struggle for Empire: A Story of the Year 2236]]'', {{Interlanguage link|Jean Delaire (author)|lt=Jean Delaire|WD=Q66429439}}'s 1904 novel ''[[Around a Distant Star]]'', and {{Interlanguage link|William Shuler Harris|lt=|WD=Q104182038}}'s 1905 novel ''[[Life in a Thousand Worlds]]'' before the concept became popular in the [[pulp era]] of science fiction.<ref name="SFEStars" /><ref name="StablefordStar" />

== As objects in the sky ==
Stars, and their positions in the [[night sky]] as seen from Earth, have long been regarded as holding a particular significance to humans. [[Constellation]]s have been integrated into various [[Mythology|mythologies]], and the [[pseudoscience]]<!-- Glossed thusly by Stableford and Westfahl alike. --> of [[astrology]] posits that the positions of the stars can be used to [[Divination|predict the future]].<ref name="SFEStars" /><ref name="StablefordStar" /><ref name="WestfahlStars">{{Cite book |last=Westfahl |first=Gary |author-link=Gary Westfahl |title=Science Fiction Literature through History: An Encyclopedia |date=2021 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-4408-6617-3 |pages=602–604 |language=en |chapter=Stars |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WETPEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA603}}</ref> Astrology very rarely features in [[science fiction]] (other than as a subject of [[satire]]), [[Piers Anthony]]'s 1969 novel ''[[Macroscope (novel)|Macroscope]]'' being one of the few exceptions.<ref name="WestfahlStars" /><ref name="SFEAstronomy">{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2015 |title=Astronomy |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/astronomy |access-date=2024-04-30 |edition=4th |author1-last=Stableford |author1-first=Brian |author1-link=Brian Stableford |editor1-last=Clute |editor1-first=John |editor1-link=John Clute |editor2-last=Langford |editor2-first=David |editor2-link=David Langford |editor3-last=Sleight |editor3-first=Graham |editor3-link=Graham Sleight}}</ref> Observations of stars as literal objects, points of light in the sky, nevertheless play important roles in several stories.<ref name="WestfahlStars" /> In [[Isaac Asimov]]'s 1941 short story "[[Nightfall (Asimov novelette and novel)|Nightfall]]", the first sight of a star-filled night sky, from a planet that is otherwise in daylight from at least one of its many suns for millennia at a time, drives people to madness.<ref name="SFEStars" /><ref name="WestfahlStars" /><ref name="GreenwoodStars">{{Cite book |last=McKinney |first=Richard L. |title=[[The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders]] |date=2005 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-313-32952-4 |editor-last=Westfahl |editor-first=Gary |editor-link=Gary Westfahl |pages=751–753 |language=en |chapter=Stars |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/greenwoodencyclo0002unse_f3t4/page/751/mode/2up}}</ref><ref name="MammothStars">{{Cite book |last=Mann |first=George |author-link=George Mann (writer) |title=The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Science Fiction |date=2001 |publisher=Carroll & Graf Publishers |isbn=978-0-7867-0887-1 |pages=512–513 |language=en |chapter=Stars |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/mammothencyclope00mann/page/512/mode/2up}}</ref> The opposite occurrence, of the stars disappearing from view, appears in [[Arthur C. Clarke]]'s 1953 short story "[[The Nine Billion Names of God]]" and heralds the [[end of the universe]].<ref name="WestfahlStars" /><ref name="GreenwoodStars" />

== Properties ==
For the most part, stars in fiction vary only in size and colour. Exceptions to this are rare and appear comparatively lately in the [[history of science fiction]].<ref name="StablefordStar">{{Cite book |last=Stableford |first=Brian |author-link=Brian Stableford |title=[[Science Fact and Science Fiction: An Encyclopedia]] |date=2006 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-415-97460-8 |pages=500–502 |language=en |chapter=Star |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uefwmdROKTAC&pg=PA500}}</ref> A [[Solid torus|toroidal]] star is featured in [[Donald Malcolm]]'s 1964 short story "[[Beyond the Reach of Storms]]".<ref name="SFEStars">{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2021<!-- 16 April --> |title=Stars |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/stars |access-date=2021-11-22 |edition=4th |author1-last=Stableford |author1-first=Brian |author1-link=Brian Stableford |author2-last=Langford |author2-first=David |author2-link=David Langford |editor1-last=Clute |editor1-first=John |editor1-link=John Clute |editor2-last=Langford |editor2-first=David |editor2-link=David Langford |editor3-last=Sleight |editor3-first=Graham |editor3-link=Graham Sleight}}</ref><ref name="StablefordStar" /> Sentient stars are depicted in [[Olaf Stapledon]]'s 1937 novel ''[[Star Maker]]'' among others.<ref name="StablefordStar" /><ref name="WestfahlStars" /><ref name="SFELivingWorlds">{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2022 |title=Living Worlds |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/living_worlds |access-date=2024-04-14 |edition=4th |author1-last=Stableford |author1-first=Brian |author1-link=Brian Stableford |author2-last=Langford |author2-first=David |author2-link=David Langford |editor1-last=Clute |editor1-first=John |editor1-link=John Clute |editor2-last=Langford |editor2-first=David |editor2-link=David Langford |editor3-last=Sleight |editor3-first=Graham |editor3-link=Graham Sleight}}</ref> Some stories including [[Bob Shaw]]'s 1975 novel ''[[Orbitsville]]'' depict stars being enclosed by [[Dyson sphere]]s.<ref name="WestfahlStars" />

== Neutron stars ==
{{See also|Black holes in fiction|Supernovae in fiction}}
[[Neutron star]]s, the extremely dense remnants of stars that have undergone [[supernova]] events, appear in several works of fiction.<ref name="StablefordStar" /><ref name="GreenwoodStars" /><ref name="SFENeutronStars">{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2014 |title=Neutron Stars |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/neutron_stars |access-date=2024-05-01 |edition=4th |author1-last=Peter |author1-first=Nicholls |author1-link=Peter Nicholls (writer) |author2-last=Langford |author2-first=David |author2-link=David Langford |editor1-last=Clute |editor1-first=John |editor1-link=John Clute |editor2-last=Langford |editor2-first=David |editor2-link=David Langford |editor3-last=Sleight |editor3-first=Graham |editor3-link=Graham Sleight}}</ref> These objects are characterized by very strong [[gravitational field]]s yet comparatively small sizes on the order of a few kilometers or miles, resulting in extreme [[tidal force]]s in their proximity.<ref name="GreenwoodStars" /><ref name="SFENeutronStars" /><ref name="May2023TidalForces">{{Cite book |last=May |first=Andrew |author-link=<!-- No article at present (April 2024); Ph.D. in astrophysics from Manchester University; not one of the people listed at [[Andrew May]] --> |title=How Space Physics Really Works: Lessons from Well-Constructed Science Fiction |publisher=Springer |year=2023 |isbn=978-3-031-33950-9 |series=Science and Fiction |pages=48–52 |language=en |chapter=Tidal Forces |doi=10.1007/978-3-031-33950-9_2 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zKXIEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA50}}</ref><ref name="TheScienceInScienceFictionStarsNeutronStarsAndBlackHoles">{{Cite book |last=Langford |first=David |author-link=David Langford |title=[[The Science in Science Fiction]] |date=1983 |publisher=Knopf |isbn=0-394-53010-1 |editor-last=Nicholls |editor-first=Peter |editor-link=Peter Nicholls (writer) |location=New York |pages=82–85 |chapter=Stars, neutron stars and black holes |oclc=8689657 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/scienceinscience00nich/page/82/mode/2up}}</ref> In [[Larry Niven]]'s 1966 short story "[[Neutron Star (short story)|Neutron Star]]", a spacefarer is thus imperiled when the spacecraft approaches such a star too closely and the difference in gravitational pull between the near and far end threatens to rip it apart.<ref name="SFENeutronStars" /><ref name="May2023TidalForces" /><ref name="TheScienceInScienceFictionStarsNeutronStarsAndBlackHoles" /> In [[Gregory Benford]]'s 1978 novel ''[[The Stars in Shroud]]'', a neutron star is used for [[gravity assist]] maneuvers.<ref name="SFENeutronStars" /><ref name="TheScienceInScienceFictionStarsNeutronStarsAndBlackHoles" /> Neutron stars are depicted as harbouring life on the surface and interior, respectively, in [[Robert L. Forward]]'s 1980 novel ''[[Dragon's Egg]]'' and [[Stephen Baxter (author)|Stephen Baxter]]'s 1993 novel ''[[Flux (novel)|Flux]]''.<ref name="WestfahlStars" /><ref name="GreenwoodStars" /> [[Neutron star merger|Neutron star mergers]] release enormous amounts of radiation that could cause [[Extinction event|extinction events]] at interstellar distances.<ref name="SFENeutronStars" />

==See also==
<imagemap>
File:Solar system.jpg|alt=A photomontage of the eight planets and the Moon|thumb|Clicking on a planet leads to the article about its depiction in fiction.
circle 1250 4700 650 [[Neptune in fiction]]
circle 2150 4505 525 [[Uranus in fiction]]
circle 2890 3960 610 [[Saturn in fiction]]
circle 3450 2880 790 [[Jupiter in fiction]]
circle 3015 1770 460 [[Mars in fiction]]
circle 2370 1150 520 [[Earth in science fiction]]
circle 3165 590 280 [[Moon in science fiction]]
circle 1570 785 475 [[Venus in fiction]]
circle 990 530 320 [[Mercury in fiction]]
</imagemap>
*[[Sun in fiction]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite magazine |last=Dean |first=John |date=April 1984 |title=Use of Stars in the Literature of Science Fiction and Fantasy |magazine=Metaphores |pages=91–100 |issue=9/10 |issn=0290-6635}}
* {{Cite web |last=Fraknoi |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Fraknoi |date=January 2024 |title=Science Fiction Stories with Good Astronomy & Physics: A Topical Index |url=https://astrosociety.org/file_download/inline/7b5edc23-7a89-46c1-a6b3-33a30ed4c876 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240210011957/https://astrosociety.org/file_download/inline/7b5edc23-7a89-46c1-a6b3-33a30ed4c876 |archive-date=2024-02-10 |archive-format=PDF |access-date=2024-05-01 |website=[[Astronomical Society of the Pacific]] |pages=19–20 |format=PDF |edition=7.3}}

{{Astronomical locations in fiction}}
{{Science fiction}}

[[Category:Fiction about stars| ]]

Revision as of 23:08, 1 May 2024

Stars outside of the Solar System have been featured as settings in works of fiction since at least the 1600s.

Early depictions

Among the earliest depictions of stars as locations that can be visited is Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle's 1686 work Entretiens sur la pluralité des mondes (Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds).[1] The centuries that followed saw further such portrayals in Emanuel Swedenborg's 1758 work De Telluribus in Mundo Nostro Solari (Concerning the Earths in Our Solar System), C. I. Defontenay's 1854 novel Star ou Psi de Cassiopée (Star: Psi Cassiopeia), and Camille Flammarion's 1887 novel Lumen, but they remained rare throughout this time period.[1][2] The early 1900s saw a few further interstellar voyages with Robert William Cole's 1900 novel The Struggle for Empire: A Story of the Year 2236, Jean Delaire [Wikidata]'s 1904 novel Around a Distant Star, and William Shuler Harris [Wikidata]'s 1905 novel Life in a Thousand Worlds before the concept became popular in the pulp era of science fiction.[1][2]

As objects in the sky

Stars, and their positions in the night sky as seen from Earth, have long been regarded as holding a particular significance to humans. Constellations have been integrated into various mythologies, and the pseudoscience of astrology posits that the positions of the stars can be used to predict the future.[1][2][3] Astrology very rarely features in science fiction (other than as a subject of satire), Piers Anthony's 1969 novel Macroscope being one of the few exceptions.[3][4] Observations of stars as literal objects, points of light in the sky, nevertheless play important roles in several stories.[3] In Isaac Asimov's 1941 short story "Nightfall", the first sight of a star-filled night sky, from a planet that is otherwise in daylight from at least one of its many suns for millennia at a time, drives people to madness.[1][3][5][6] The opposite occurrence, of the stars disappearing from view, appears in Arthur C. Clarke's 1953 short story "The Nine Billion Names of God" and heralds the end of the universe.[3][5]

Properties

For the most part, stars in fiction vary only in size and colour. Exceptions to this are rare and appear comparatively lately in the history of science fiction.[2] A toroidal star is featured in Donald Malcolm's 1964 short story "Beyond the Reach of Storms".[1][2] Sentient stars are depicted in Olaf Stapledon's 1937 novel Star Maker among others.[2][3][7] Some stories including Bob Shaw's 1975 novel Orbitsville depict stars being enclosed by Dyson spheres.[3]

Neutron stars

See also: Black holes in fiction and Supernovae in fiction

Neutron stars, the extremely dense remnants of stars that have undergone supernova events, appear in several works of fiction.[2][5][8] These objects are characterized by very strong gravitational fields yet comparatively small sizes on the order of a few kilometers or miles, resulting in extreme tidal forces in their proximity.[5][8][9][10] In Larry Niven's 1966 short story "Neutron Star", a spacefarer is thus imperiled when the spacecraft approaches such a star too closely and the difference in gravitational pull between the near and far end threatens to rip it apart.[8][9][10] In Gregory Benford's 1978 novel The Stars in Shroud, a neutron star is used for gravity assist maneuvers.[8][10] Neutron stars are depicted as harbouring life on the surface and interior, respectively, in Robert L. Forward's 1980 novel Dragon's Egg and Stephen Baxter's 1993 novel Flux.[3][5] Neutron star mergers release enormous amounts of radiation that could cause extinction events at interstellar distances.[8]

See also

A photomontage of the eight planets and the MoonNeptune in fictionUranus in fictionSaturn in fictionJupiter in fictionMars in fictionEarth in science fictionMoon in science fictionVenus in fictionMercury in fiction
Clicking on a planet leads to the article about its depiction in fiction.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Stableford, Brian; Langford, David (2021). "Stars". In Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Retrieved 2021-11-22.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Stableford, Brian (2006). "Star". Science Fact and Science Fiction: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. pp. 500–502. ISBN 978-0-415-97460-8.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Westfahl, Gary (2021). "Stars". Science Fiction Literature through History: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. pp. 602–604. ISBN 978-1-4408-6617-3.
  4. ^ Stableford, Brian (2015). "Astronomy". In Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  5. ^ a b c d e McKinney, Richard L. (2005). "Stars". In Westfahl, Gary (ed.). The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 751–753. ISBN 978-0-313-32952-4.
  6. ^ Mann, George (2001). "Stars". The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Carroll & Graf Publishers. pp. 512–513. ISBN 978-0-7867-0887-1.
  7. ^ Stableford, Brian; Langford, David (2022). "Living Worlds". In Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  8. ^ a b c d e Peter, Nicholls; Langford, David (2014). "Neutron Stars". In Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  9. ^ a b May, Andrew (2023). "Tidal Forces". How Space Physics Really Works: Lessons from Well-Constructed Science Fiction. Science and Fiction. Springer. pp. 48–52. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-33950-9_2. ISBN 978-3-031-33950-9.
  10. ^ a b c Langford, David (1983). "Stars, neutron stars and black holes". In Nicholls, Peter (ed.). The Science in Science Fiction. New York: Knopf. pp. 82–85. ISBN 0-394-53010-1. OCLC 8689657.

Further reading

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