Fair warning, this story is about 9,000 words. But it's so rich and weird and dazzling. It's among my favorite Lem stories — although i admit i hadn't read anything of his until we (MIT Press, where i work) started reissuing his books last year, so i'm by no means an expert on him. Anyway, there was a lot of interest in an excerpt from Lem's memoir I submitted here a few months ago ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item…
I can't help but read this story as a predecessor of "Solaris", where a contact with a planet-size living entity is actually attempted. I also see here some characteristic traits of Lem's plots: something we are close to but can't hope really attaining (like personally traveling inside a star), the lack of understanding from well-intentioned lay people, and the idea that there are things we try hard to understand but…
Also, if you feel like more Lem after reading this, I heartily recommend the '72 Solaris film if you haven't seen it. Probably one of the greatest directors (Tarkovsky) of all time filming off of one of the greatest sci-fi authors of all time. Tarkovsky likes long, slow shots the style of which is all but absent from Hollywood today, where they cut like a microtome, so it might seem dull and strange at first, but give yourself a chance to get used to his pacing.