“科学”不仅是在学会机构里钻研的高深知识，也是在市井间以各种光怪陆离形式呈现的通俗育乐。十九世纪初的英国，尤其在伦敦等大城市，已有兴盛蓬勃的大众科学商业市场。在市场上兜售流通的“商品”，有大量发行的廉价书籍报刊、随处可见的公众演讲、声光化电的实验演示，以及五花八门的珍奇展览。其中，在剧院里举行的天文学演讲，是学界过去忽略的十九世纪流行现象。这些天文学演讲经常于基督教的大斋期/四旬期（Lent）举行，佐以大型机械或光学装置增添视觉效果，甚至加上管弦乐团演奏及人声合唱。剧院天文秀满足观众的感官享受与求知欲之馀，也期望引发对宇宙奇观与天主造物的崇敬（sublime）情怀。本演讲将从以上案例出发，爬梳近年来西方科学史学界对通俗科学的研究成果，尤其是学者引进阅读史、社会史与文化史等研究方法的应用。  “Science” was not only esoteric knowledge in learned societies, but also popular entertainment in the marketplace. There were flourishing commercial market for popular science in nineteenth-century Britain, particularly in cities like London. The “commodities” circulated in the market included: mass-produced cheap books and periodicals, public lectures, experimental demonstrations, and a curious miscellany of exhibitions. Among all the shows, astronomical lectures inside theatres were a phenomenon which historians did not explore much. These theatrical lectures on astronomy often took place during Lent. They were often accompanied by large mechanical or optical visual aids, sometimes with an orchestra and a choir. In addition to amuse and instruct the audience, these lectures also expected to inspire a religious sentiment of the sublime of the universe and Creation. In this talk, I will use the case study of Lenten astronomical lectures to explore the wide spectrum of Victorian popular science and culture.