[Idiom] lots of / a host of

[Ashiuhto]

Which of the following sentences is better, 1 or 2 ?

1. At night, lots of stars twinkled in the sky.
2. At night, a host of stars twinkled in the sky.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Which of the following sentences is better, 1 or 2 ?

1. At night, lots of stars twinkled in the sky.
2. At night, a host of stars twinkled in the sky.

They are about the same for me. The second is a bit more formal.

 

[Rover_KE]

They are about the same for me. The second is a bit more formal.

...and more poetic.

The well-known poem wouldn't sound the same if it read

'When all at once I saw a crowd,
A lot of golden daffodils'.