When Did Greek Poetess Sappho Write Her 'Midnight Poem'? Scientists Use Stars To Find Out

There is little doubt that the night sky has inspired many poems in history. Now scientists have decided to see what the stars looked like back in time when they moved the Greek poetess Sappho to write her "Midnight Poem." At the same time, the project has determined when Sappho wrote the poem.

Recreating The Greek Night Sky

A group of scientists from the University of Texas at Arlington recreated the ancient Greek night sky with the help of planetarium software. The team chose Sappho's "Midnight Poem" for its reference to the Pleiades, the cluster of stars that has been most useful in history for sailors trying to navigate the seas.

The Clue In Sappho's "Midnight Poem"

The Greek poetess Sappho wrote her "Midnight Poem" in the Isle of Lesbos in 570 B.C. The Pleiades, which was known as the "Seven Sisters" in Greek mythology, had inspired the following verse as translated by Henry Thornton Wharton in 1887 (via Gizmodo):

"The moon has set
And the Pleiades;
It is midnight,
The time is going by,
And I sleep alone."

When Did Sappho Write "Midnight Poem?"

The study, which has published in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, confirmed the estimations of historians. With the help of software from the UT-Arlington planetarium, the scientists learned that the Pleiades set at midnight on January 25 in 570 B.C. It would be visible in the ancient Greek sky until March 31 on the same year.

According to the study's lead author Manfred Cuntz, Sappho had written "Midnight Poem" between mid-winter and early spring of 570 B.C. "Estimations had been made for the timing of this open in the past, but we were able to scientifically confirm the season that corresponds to [Sappho's] specific descriptions of the night sky in the year 570 B.C," Cuntz said in a statement (via UTA).