Robert Frost and the Leonid Meteor Shower

Abstract

Robert Frost (1874–1963) enjoyed a lifelong interest in astronomy, and a number of his works refer to astronomical phenomena and to our propensity to look for meaning in them. Frost’s poem ‘A Loose Mountain (Telescopic)’, published in 1942, provides an apt—and humorous—description of the Leonid meteor shower. Aspects of the poem suggest Frost was inspired by the complex history of the Leonids, and in particular, the failure of the Leonid ‘storm’ to appear as predicted in 1899. Like the old constellation myths, the poem tells a story that helps us understand and remember a night-sky phenomenon. It also invites us to think about our relationship to the night sky, and warns us, with references to Milton’s Paradise Lost, against losing our connection with it.