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The Soul of the Night: An Astronomical Pilgrimage
Probing the depths of science and faith, scientist Chet Raymo investigates the mysteries of human spirituality and meaning contained in astronomy. Ranging through the stars and the myths humans have told about them for millennia, Raymo delves into “a pilgrimage in quest of the soul of the night.”
Chet Raymo's elegant essays link the mysterious phenomena of the night sky with the human mind and spirit, as he ranges through the realms of mythology, literature, religion, history, and anthropology. Originally published two decades ago, The Soul of the Night is a classic work that is a must for those interested in the relationship between science and faith.
Chet Raymo's elegant essays link the mysterious phenomena of the night sky with the human mind and spirit, as he ranges through the realms of mythology, literature, religion, history, and anthropology. Originally published two decades ago, The Soul of the Night is a classic work that is a must for those interested in the relationship between science and faith.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
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571 people want to read
About the author
Chet Raymo
30 books62 followersChet Raymo (born September 17, 1936 in Chattanooga, Tennessee) is a noted writer, educator and naturalist. He is Professor Emeritus of Physics at Stonehill College, in Easton, Massachusetts. His weekly newspaper column Science Musings appeared in the Boston Globe for twenty years, and his musings can still be read online at www.sciencemusings.com.
His most famous book was the novel entitled The Dork of Cork, and was made into the feature length film Frankie Starlight. Raymo is also the author of Walking Zero, a scientific and historical account of his wanderings along the Prime Meridian in Great Britain.
Raymo was the recipient of the 1998 Lannan Literary Award for his Nonfiction work.
His most famous book was the novel entitled The Dork of Cork, and was made into the feature length film Frankie Starlight. Raymo is also the author of Walking Zero, a scientific and historical account of his wanderings along the Prime Meridian in Great Britain.
Raymo was the recipient of the 1998 Lannan Literary Award for his Nonfiction work.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 11, 2009
Raymo writes:
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation, said Henry David Thoreau, and if his book continues to attract us it is because we are desperate. In desperation, I turn to night as Thoreau turned to his pond. I measure those starry spaces with the same care of rods and chains that the naturalist of Concord used to measure Walden. Thoreau plumbed the depths of Walden Pond and marked them on his map. He surveyed the fish that lived in the waters of the pond, he catalogued its weeds, and during winter he recorded the thicknesses of the ice. It was a part of his balance book, an accounting of his riches, a reckoning of a fortune that was there for the taking. These, said Thoreau—the measures, the depths, the thicknesses—are a man’s true economy.”
The author is a retired physics professor, astronomer, naturalist. And I should add a poetic writer of prose. One of the best scientist/writers putting pen to paper today. The most delicious book about the night sky I have ever read. But there's more here than stars, galaxies and empty space. Just a wonderful, wonderful book of collected essays.
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation, said Henry David Thoreau, and if his book continues to attract us it is because we are desperate. In desperation, I turn to night as Thoreau turned to his pond. I measure those starry spaces with the same care of rods and chains that the naturalist of Concord used to measure Walden. Thoreau plumbed the depths of Walden Pond and marked them on his map. He surveyed the fish that lived in the waters of the pond, he catalogued its weeds, and during winter he recorded the thicknesses of the ice. It was a part of his balance book, an accounting of his riches, a reckoning of a fortune that was there for the taking. These, said Thoreau—the measures, the depths, the thicknesses—are a man’s true economy.”
The author is a retired physics professor, astronomer, naturalist. And I should add a poetic writer of prose. One of the best scientist/writers putting pen to paper today. The most delicious book about the night sky I have ever read. But there's more here than stars, galaxies and empty space. Just a wonderful, wonderful book of collected essays.
September 28, 2024
It's been a long time since I've read as moving, insightful, and beautiful a book as this, so long I'd almost thought those days were behind me, days that went with the discovery of late adolescence and early adulthood. Here I was happily proved wrong. Think Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek meets Timothy Ferris' Coming of Age in the Milky Way meets Loren Eiseley's Immense Journey.
In this book, Raymo continually goes back and forth between earthly images and things, like birds, and fish, and flowers, to the universal wonders of the night sky, galaxies and constellations, weaving them together into a continuous cosmic whole. He often quotes poetry, and it is heartbreakingly beautiful poetry, but his writing is itself poetry, while also discussing real science of astronomy, elaborating on quasars, galaxies, and much else. I'd love to include some quotes from this book to show how exquisite the writing is, but I'd have to quote most of the book. Just read it, and thank me later. As for me, this one's going onto my favorites shelf, and I'll be hunting out more books by Chet Raymo.
By the by, I also enjoyed the lovely woodblock engravings found throughout.
In this book, Raymo continually goes back and forth between earthly images and things, like birds, and fish, and flowers, to the universal wonders of the night sky, galaxies and constellations, weaving them together into a continuous cosmic whole. He often quotes poetry, and it is heartbreakingly beautiful poetry, but his writing is itself poetry, while also discussing real science of astronomy, elaborating on quasars, galaxies, and much else. I'd love to include some quotes from this book to show how exquisite the writing is, but I'd have to quote most of the book. Just read it, and thank me later. As for me, this one's going onto my favorites shelf, and I'll be hunting out more books by Chet Raymo.
By the by, I also enjoyed the lovely woodblock engravings found throughout.
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February 18, 2017This book feels dated now, both in its science and its bold, sweeping proclamations, but this stuff never gets old. These are some of the most beautiful essays of your life, with the mind-blowing scope of space and the precision of Raymo's favorite old poets. Raymo himself is the most devoutly religious atheist I've ever encountered, with the possible exception of the person who loaned me the book. Can't help himself. So I find myself snorting a bit when he trails off into sublimity, but it's endearing, and he's right, you know, the universe is gorgeous and sublime and what's there to do but respond in kind with a book.
November 2, 2016
LOVED this book!!! It's a walk through a beautiful garden...at night. I read this as a kind of "devotional" that well inspired my nights and drove me outside to experience galaxies flying across the night sky.
August 4, 2015
This book was a real surprise for me, something I picked up on a whim, knowing nothing about it. Raymo is a terrific essayist, writing on astronomy, physics, ornithology, philosophy and spirituality in a way that defies easy categorization. The Soul of the Night was originally published in the 1980s and ought to be considered a classic of American science/nature writing. It’s certainly a book I’ll be recommending to others and one I know I’ll want to read again someday. I’ve already added a couple more of his books to my list of must-gets.
February 2, 2009
Raymo does a good job of combining science and religion. When he talks about the 'sacred place,' he seems to mean man's relationship with the cosmos, the sacred place being within oneself. He has a great respect for nature. I like what he said about the importance of silence as a requisite for contemplation and how the night sky offers us that. I liked his many references to literature and poetry, i.e.: Theodore Roethke, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Emily Dickenson, etc.
July 1, 2013
A beautiful book. Raymo is the naturalist of the heavens. He weaves the inner and outer worlds of faith and science in a mesmerizing story of the universe as we see it in our night sky. He is able to make the science of astronomy penetrable to the lay person and relate it elegantly to our place in this space. His writing is fluid and poetic.
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July 28, 2015An exquisite look at astronomy through the eyes of a naturalist. These lovely essays on the "soul" of science, most of them dealing directly or glancingly with modern astronomy, are so unique and refreshing, you will be charmed by Chet Raymo's prose and subject.
April 8, 2012
A lovely writer.
September 19, 2018
The book about space I've been searching for
September 8, 2021
This may go down as the best book I’ve read all year. Raymo describes himself as a “pilgrim of darkness.” The journey and the night sky seem to provide him with joy. I am not sure why it has taken me so long to discover this fellow pilgrim, but a blogger friend suggested that I might like another of his books on walking. When I looked him up, I saw this book and knew right away that I would start with it. After all, one of my favorite times to walk is at night and when there is a clear sky, it feels as if the stars are accompanying me on my travels.
The Soul of the Night is a collection of twenty essays. In each, the author begins with an observation that leads him deeper into the subject. It may be something on earth (especially birds) that lead him skyward. Or it could be an astronomical sighting that leads him back to earth. In these essays, he draws on his experience as a professor of physics and astronomy. Weaving his scientific knowledge with a keen sense of observation, the author draws on a vast background of mythology, the Bible, others of the world religions (especially Zen), and literature (especially poetry) as he leads his reader on a journey of exploration.
In these pages, we ponder the beauty of the stars and the night from our perspective as well as the perspective of our ancient ancestors. We learn of how legends became constellations and how what we see as a vast flat canvas is a universe that’s spreading apart at an astonishing rate. He tells of illustrating our galaxy by spreading a box of salt in a swirl on the floor. But before his students take too much comfort in how close the “stars” are, he reminds them that to be precise, it would require a dozen boxes and the positioning of each grain of salt would have to be thousands of feet from each other and would require a plane larger than a cross section of the earth (101-2). He investigates the meaning of darkness. He explores the color of the stars (which we can barely make out with the necked eyes) as well as the color of the landscape. Quoting a friend, he notes that “walking in the woods in November is like walking in a black and white landscape.” He ponders the shadows of the earth and the moon and how they helped understand the distances between objects. There is so much within these pages.
This is a delightful book that has given me much to ponder. I highly recommend it.
The Soul of the Night is a collection of twenty essays. In each, the author begins with an observation that leads him deeper into the subject. It may be something on earth (especially birds) that lead him skyward. Or it could be an astronomical sighting that leads him back to earth. In these essays, he draws on his experience as a professor of physics and astronomy. Weaving his scientific knowledge with a keen sense of observation, the author draws on a vast background of mythology, the Bible, others of the world religions (especially Zen), and literature (especially poetry) as he leads his reader on a journey of exploration.
In these pages, we ponder the beauty of the stars and the night from our perspective as well as the perspective of our ancient ancestors. We learn of how legends became constellations and how what we see as a vast flat canvas is a universe that’s spreading apart at an astonishing rate. He tells of illustrating our galaxy by spreading a box of salt in a swirl on the floor. But before his students take too much comfort in how close the “stars” are, he reminds them that to be precise, it would require a dozen boxes and the positioning of each grain of salt would have to be thousands of feet from each other and would require a plane larger than a cross section of the earth (101-2). He investigates the meaning of darkness. He explores the color of the stars (which we can barely make out with the necked eyes) as well as the color of the landscape. Quoting a friend, he notes that “walking in the woods in November is like walking in a black and white landscape.” He ponders the shadows of the earth and the moon and how they helped understand the distances between objects. There is so much within these pages.
This is a delightful book that has given me much to ponder. I highly recommend it.
August 12, 2018
I don't usually read books of poetic prose - that claim, also, to be science. I would not have made any associations. But I'm glad that I did read this one. I read it, partly, because a friend of mine gave it to me as a gift, and, partly because I have known about the author since my twenties, but have never read anything by him.
His writing style, poetic as it is, hits home with me - there's no way around it. Besides, he's from where I spent a part of my youth - in the suburbs of Boston, Mass.
Not being one who possesses a flowery vocabulary, he said for me, what I feel, and have felt, about the universe, about God, and about men. Reminds me, somewhat, of Leslie Peltier's, Starlight Nights.
His writing style, poetic as it is, hits home with me - there's no way around it. Besides, he's from where I spent a part of my youth - in the suburbs of Boston, Mass.
Not being one who possesses a flowery vocabulary, he said for me, what I feel, and have felt, about the universe, about God, and about men. Reminds me, somewhat, of Leslie Peltier's, Starlight Nights.
June 29, 2020
This was very disappointing because I had read this book when I was younger and liked it a lot. I've kept it all these years. On re-reading it, though, I felt like the prose was too overwrought and I didn't like it as much. This author has some great books about stars. I especially like 365 Starry Nights.
November 18, 2021
This is a poetic and thoughtful series of meditations that’s a very soothing experiential read. Highly recommended to get your mind off the daily anxieties of life.
June 18, 2025
I feel v v v v small
November 14, 2025
Poetic and thoughtful. Love the combination of metaphors and quotes of other well-known works. The frequent reference to astronomy also delights me.
January 31, 2011
This book, like 365 Starry Nights: An Introduction to Astronomy for Every Night of the Year, is beautiful and engaging. Jan and I bought it together at Stellafane 2010 as an homage to Raymo and our continued friendship. I received it from Jan with a note comparing it to Thoreau - high praise indeed. I haven't yet read Thoreau, but I would put it in the same league as Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac. This book is a song for the quiet souls of astronomers in the night. It does explore the space for spirituality in science, but it's more of an affirmation of those who choose to allow themselves to be awestruck by the things they experience around them.
September 7, 2015
This is one of the most beautiful books i've ever read. Raymo is a physics professor who writes like a poet. This is basically a collection of essays about how wondrous the universe is. Wonderfully written, with a liberal sprinkling of literary and poetic quotes. It also has a lot of science, without being scientific. An excellent read for anyone who enjoys going outside at night and looking up.
December 28, 2016
Can't stress enough how much I loved this book. Maybe I just read it at the right time, but I really responded to Raymo's meditations on the Cosmos. He has such a knowledge of the stars and of the human psyche that he bring the two subjects together with ease. My favorite bits: Raymo telling the reader of his journal of all the astronomical phenomena he's "collected," and the way he describes far away objects in awe-inspiring ways that the layreader can understand.
July 18, 2008
I LOVE MY Book...
February 29, 2008
Raymo has a poetic voice I've rarely found in science writing. He creates silence on the page like no one I've ever read.
February 16, 2008
One of my favorite books ever! Very interesting with a lot of astounding facts and fun stories!
January 20, 2009
My favorite book...ever.
June 16, 2010
I loved this book. It's beautifully written and it evokes a sense of the devine in the heavens.
January 25, 2021
This was a really lovely book. It had enough science to be educational, while really engendering an awe of the universe and what we have learned and what we still have to learn. It was beautiful.
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December 9, 2013 i like it very much.
November 7, 2015
The Walden of the night sky, even 20 years later the science is still surprisingly relevant, and the writing is beautiful, highly poetic, reflective and entrancing.
April 11, 2011
Why I am scared of space.
July 25, 2014
Poetic, thought-provoking, fascinating, and potentially life-changing... :)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews