Iako su viđenja, kao ono Cotton Mather-a, bila još uvek retka 1700-tih, pojačan interes za astronomiju potpalio je novu raspravu, viševekovno staru teoriju zvanu 'pluralitet svetova'. Ideja da bi život mogao da postoji na drugim mestima širom svemira.
Although sightings like Cotton Mather's were still rare in the 1700s, the increasing interest in astronomy sparked a new debate over a centuries-old theory called "the plurality of worlds;" the idea that life might exist elsewhere throughout the universe.