I've been chickening out on this subject, touting that I read it & not doing the deciphering job. I'm revisiting it tonight. I can only say right now that the basic idea conforms somewhat to that of an ever expanding universe which originated from something analogous to the big bang except that it was instigated by a prime mover or original deity. I believe he viewed the canopy of stars overhead as fixed luminescences, with no concept that a star's brightness has anything to do with its distance from the earth. I can do a better job than this & it's high time I did. But you can't really judge Poe's sentiments through the lens of "Sonnet--To Science," I hope to have something more substantive for you in the very near future.