How did Edgar Allan Poe contribute to early science fiction?

Edgar Allan Poe is recognized as a significant early contributor to the science fiction genre. His work in this field is characterized by his ability to blend imaginative concepts with meticulous technical detail to create a sense of plausibility.12

A primary example of this approach is his 1844 story, The Balloon Hoax, which was published in the New York Sun. In this work, Poe utilized detailed technical descriptions to impress and mislead his readers, demonstrating his skill in crafting narratives that felt grounded in reality despite their fantastic premises. His broader body of work often combined factual material with wilder fancies, a technique also evident in his longer prose narrative, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym. Through these efforts, Poe helped establish early conventions for the genre, moving beyond traditional gothic tropes to incorporate elements that anticipated the scientific wonder and technical focus central to later science fiction.231