In Book One, Chapter Ten of "Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre" the protagonist, stepping away from a telescope through which he has been observing Saturn and its moons, says to the astronomer, "I don't know if I should thank you for having brought this star so unconscionably near. Before when I saw it, it was in relation to all the many other heavenly bodies and to myself. But now it stands out in my imagination out of all proportion, and I don't know if I would like to have the remaining throngs brought up. They will close in on me, make me fearful."