Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-01-14

Der, 1863. According to Sir William Her
schePs observations, the disc of Mercury was
always equally luminous, without any dark
spot or ragged edge but Mr.. Schroeder saw
not only spots but mountains, the height of
two of which he measured, and found one
to be about mile and quarter in height,
and the other about ten miles and three quar-
tiers, or nearly thrice as high as Chimbora-
10 We are not aware that these observa-
tons have been confirmed. Captain Smith
looked for the spots on Mercury through his
achromatic telescopes but though he did not
find them, he should not have omitted, as he
has done, all notice of the observations of
Schroeder. The Telescope of Lord Rose
will soon decide these and other disputed
points in astronomy.
Next to Mercury the planet VENUS re-
wolves around the sun at the distance of six
ty-eiglt, millions of miles, in 224 days l6
hours, performing her daily revolution about
her axis in % hours 81 minutes. The di-
ameter of Venus is ZOO miles, or little
less than that of the Earth. This planet is
known even to the most lliterate observer,
as the splendid morning and evening star,
which occasionally precedes the rising, and
follows the setting of the Sun. She shines
with peculiar brilliancy, giving a distinct
shadow to opaque objects, and she exhibits
all the phases of the Moon. Venus was
mentioned by the prophet Isaiah as a morn
ing star 1900 years ago, and is also noticed
by Homer and Hesiod Her splendour could
not fail to attract popular attention, and be-
ing the nearest planet to our Earth, and al
most Of the same size, astronomers expect
ed to discover analogous resemblances be-
tween the two Sir w. Herschel and Schroe-
ter have examined the surface of Venus with
peculiar care Both of them observed that
the light is strongest at the outer limb, from
which it decreases gradually to the interior
edge. Sir W. Herschel saw spots upon the
inner margin of the luminous crescent, not
very unlike those seen long before by Bian-
chin. According to Schroeder, the light at
the inner margin terminates i'll ragged
edge, and the cusps or horns of the planet
are alternately blunt and sharp, phenome-
non which Schroeder supposes to arise from
the shadow Of high mountain. This as
tronomer, who noticed that one of the cusps
was bent like a hook, with pale blue light
at its apex, ascribed the appearance to the
twilight produced by the atmosphere of the
planet. Schroeder measured the altitude of
four mountains in Venus, the highest of
which were, as in Mercury, in the southern
hemisphere. The highest was % miles, the
next 10, another | l ID, and the lowest near
| ly miles. Judging from analogy, astron-
omers expected to find moon or satellite re-
volving round this planet. Cassini, and
Short, and Montague, declare positively that
they saw it; but notwithstanding the charge
ofdogmatism which Captain Smith has made
against those who ascribe this observation to
an optical illusion, we have no hesitation
in repeating that opinion. 1t is certainly
more reasonable to believe that false i'm
age of so bright planet usurped the place
of satellite, than that the star seen by
Short and others, and never seen since, had
been blotted out of existence. We have
ourselves been summoned to see the satellite
of Venus, and soon detected the origin of
the false speck Of light. Venus, like Mer-
curry, occasionally passes i'll the form of
dark round spot, over the Sun, but no sat
elite has ever been seen to attend her on
this occasion. Venus will pass over the SUMS
disc on the 9th of December, 1874, and on
the 9th December, 1882.
The next body of the Solar System is our
own EARTH, our planetary home, our birth
place, and soon to be our grave Viewing
it, as we are now doing, as the third planet
in order from the Sun, can we doubt that it
is globe like the rest--poised in ether, and
moving round the central luminary ! Know
ing that it is the seat of life, and the abode
of intelligence, can we doubt that the other
planets have their inhabitants as well as ours
: The diameter or axis of the Earth, round
which it rcvolves in "a hours, is 1898 miles,
: and its equatorial diameter 1924. Itmoves
round the Sun in 365 days, 6 hours, and it
is accompanied by Moon or Satellite,
T which revolves about her axis in 81 DAYS, s
hours the time also of her revolution round
the Earth, at the distance of 237 900 miles
from our planet. Her diameter is 2l60 miles.
Her surface is composed of hill and dale,
rocks and mountains, but no trace of water
exists, and no appearance which indicates
the existence Of living beings. The grand
object of the refulgent lamp of night is
doubtless to give light to our globe, and to
regulate the tides of our ocean. As our own
Earth was long in preparation for the occu-
patton of man, the Moon may i'll like man
ner be preparing for the reception of inhab-
itants.
According to Sir w. Herschel, the height
of the lunar mountains which he measured
varies from quarter of a mile to a mile and
three-quarters but Mr.. Schroeder, following
another method of measurement found the
insulated mountains so high as five miles,
The surface of the Moon is distinguished
from that of our Earth, and, indeed, of all
the other planets, by caverns sometimes five
miles in depth, and 40 miles in diameter
A high annular ridge marked with lofty
peaks and numerous little cavities, general
ly surrounds these caverns, and i'll its centre
an insulated mountain is often found. "The
strata of mountains" as we have elsewhere
observed, and the insulated hills which
mark the disc of this luminary, have evil
IDENTITY no analogy with those in our own
globe Her mountainous scenery, however,
bears a stronger resemblance to the towering
sublimity and the terrific ruggcdness of Al
/ pine regions, than to the lower inequalities
of less elevated countries. These masses of
rock rise at once from the plains, and raise
their peaked submits to AN immense height
in the air, while projecting crags spring
from theirrugged TANKS, and threatening the
valleys below, seem to bid defiance to the