Saturn may have devoured his children

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An historical example of metaphor in science writing.

"Has Saturn, perhaps, devoured his own children?"

Galileo Galilei

Quoted in: Moore, P. (1994). The Great Astronomical Revolution. 1534-1687 and the Space Age epilogue. Albion Publishing.

Saturn's rings become harder to detect when not see form Earth at an oblique angle. (Traditionally, the planet Saturn was personified as a male person.)

Read about personification in science texts

[Please be aware that a word may have different nuances, or even a different meaning, according to context.]« Back to Index