The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-02-08

VENUS AND JUPITER. As these two
planets have attracted considerable
observation and interest recently,
owing to the fact of their late prox-
unity, 2 phenomenon never before
witnessed by. our readers, the Char
iestooa llsi1o .coiiates a. Jew facts re-
garding them. OF all the luminaries
of Heaven, the sun and moon ex-
cepted, the planet Venus is most
conspicuous. She appears like o
brilliant lamp among the lesser orbs,
and alternately anticipates the morn
ing dawn, and ushers in the evening
twilight. The diameter of Venus
has been computed at about $500
miles, and consequently its surface
contains 191, 1874, 944 square miles,
and could contain o number of in
habitants equal to more than 53, $780,
600, 900, or nearly sixty-seven times
the population of our globe Venus
revolves in an orbit which is 49,
800, 900 miles in circumference in the
space of 224 days and sixteen hours;
its rate of motion is, therefore, about
80, 900 miles every hour, 1880 miles
every minute, and about twenty-five
miles every second. Its distance
from the sun is 68, 900, 600 of miles,
and from the earth, when nearest US,
about 27,000,000 of miles, which is
the nearest approach that any of the
heavenly bodies, except the moon,
make to the earth. Yet this distance
is very great, for cannon ball would
require six years and three months
to move from the earth to the near
est point in the orbit of Venus,
although it were flying every mo-
ment at the rate of 500 miles an
hour. At its greatest distance from
US it is 163, 000,0 900 of miles.
Jupiter, when nearest the earth, is
the most splendid of all the nocturnal
orbs except Venus and the moon.
Its distance from the sun is 495, ,OO0,-
600 of miles, and the circumference
of its orbit is 3,100, 900, 900 of miles.
Around this orbit it moves eleven
years and 315 days at the rate of
nearly 10000 miles every hour.
When nearest the earth, it is about
400, 100000 of miles distant, and
when at its greatest distance from us
no less than 590,OOO,OO0 of miles.
This planet revolves around its axis
in the space of nine hours 55 mi
nutes forty-nine and q half seconds.
This rotation is far more rapid than
that of any of the other planets.
The circumference of Jupiter is
278,600 miles, and therefore its
equitorial parts will move with
velocity of $4,000 miles an hour,
which is 5000 miles more than the
equitorial parts of the earth's surface
move in twenty -four hours. Jupiter
is eleven times larger in circum-
ference than the earth, and moves
round the sun in 4,332% of our
days, and round its axis in nine
hours fifty. six minutes nearly; there
fore its year will be 10, ,47O days.
This planet is the largest in the
system, being 81. 900 miles in diane
ter, and consequently 1,400 times
larger than the earth. Its surface
contains nearly $4,000, 600, 600 square
miles, with accommodations for near
ly 1000, 900, 600 of inhabitants, which
is nearly fifty times the number of
human beings that have existed on
the earth since its creation.
Such an immense globe, moving
forward in its annual course 10000
miles every hour, and carrying along
with it four moons, larger than ours,
to adorn its armament, presents to
the imagination an idea at once
wonderful and sublime.
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