The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-09-21
The Planet yenBs. ii

One word on the celestial scenery
visible from Venus. 1t is a circum-
stance worth noticing that, from all
the three planets which have no
moons, at least one orb can be so seen
as to appear more beautiful than any
star or planet in our own skies. Jup-
tier, as seen from Mars, must appear
a most noble orb, since his splendOT,
owing to the greater proximity of Mars
when most favOrably situated for
observing Jupiter, must be one half
greater than than that which he dis
plays 10 ourselves. His satellite, too.
may probably be visible from Mars.
In the planet Venus, again, Mercury
has noble spectacle. Her luster, in
deed, when seen under the most
favorable circumstances, must illumf-
nate the skies Of Mercury witha splen-
tdor surprising ten or twelve times
that of the planet Jupiter. as we see
him on q midnight sky From Mer-
enTy, also, the earth must seem a no.
/ bic orb, her attendant moon being
probably distinctly visible. Venus
has not, like Mercury, 4 view Of two
/ planets surprising Jupiter in splendOr.
But, on the other hand, the earth, as
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beautiful spectacle visible throughout
the whDle range Of the solar, system.
To vision such as ours, the earth must
present. the figure Of q disk, because
we know that under favorable circum-
stances we can ourselves recognize the
crescent form Of Venus with the un-
aided eye, The disk cannot fail TO
exhibit varying eolOrs; now appearing
greenish, now reddish, according as
the terrestrial seas or oceans are more
fully turned toward Venus; while at
times, when the atmosphere of our
earth is heavily laden with vapOrs, the
glory of the earth as a light in the
skies of Venus must be greatly en-
HANGED, the earth's luster being at
such times, however, purely white,
In the meantime, the moon must be
distinctly visible, as disk about one
fourth as large as the earth's in dia-
meter, and not changing i'm color as
hers does, unless, indeed, it chances
that the side of the moon we do not
see differs very much in character from
the portion we are able to study The
seeming distance separating the moon !
from the earth when they are fUrthest |
apart will be somewhat greater than |
the seeming diameter Of the mOOn rs /
we see her. 1t need hardly be said |
that the light actually received from
the earth and moon under these cir |
eumstances must be very much great |
er than that Which we receive either /
from Jupiter or Venus when at their /
brightest. We know that Mars, when |
seen under most favorable circumstan- !
ces (onee in about ? century,, is fairly !
comparable with Jupiter; but at such |
times Mars is half as far again from
US as we are from Venus he would |
show q disk much less than half the |
earth's if both were seen at the same /
distance; and he is Illuminated less 1
than one half as brightly, owing 70 I
greater distance from the sun. On all /
these accounts the earth must shine |
many times more splendidly than /
Mars does, even on those exceptional 4
occasions when las once during thel
last century, his ruddy orb blaZed so /
resplendently as to be mistaken for /
a new star. When it is remembered,
too, that Venus is seen most brightly
when by no means at her nearest, and
when showing less than half disk,
whereas the earth is seen most favor
ably from Venus when at her nearest,
and showing q full disk, it will be seen /
that the greater intrinsic luster of
Venus is much more than counter
balanced, and that the earth, with
her companion moon, as seen from
the planet Venus, must form far
more glorious spectacle besides ap-
pearing on a darker sky than the
planet of love when most she solicits
our admiration ...f. s4 -... i.s