The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1876-10-26
rs VENUS INHABITED.
BY PROF. PROCTOR.


learned about Venus which does not agree
well with the idea that the planet is world
like our earth, where people liee ourselves
might live very comfortably. For it would
not matter much to us, probably, if the year.
were shortened by four or i've months, and
the day by half an hour-supposing always
that trees and vegetables were so mace
tHAt they could thrive under the change.
In fact, if anyone leaves the temperate re.
gions to visit the tropics, he has to undergo
. greater change. For in England (where
am writing), and throughout the United
States, the seasons change from the heat of
summer to the cold of winter, and back
again to the heat Of summer, in twelve
months but at the equator the greatest
heat occurs in spring and autumn, or at in
tervals only six months. So far as the
length of the year is concerned. an Ameri>
can Or an Englishman could very we'll bear
the change to the temperate zone of Venus,
where the interval between tho successive
and o half m nths.
But when we consider some other points,
we see that Venus, beautiful though she
looks. would not be o comfortable home for
us. In the first place, we know that if we
OI6W ACAICE " uIc VIC kcC MOTC uc1L lTOm
it. Now, Venus is much nearer to the sun
the great fire of the solar system-than
our earth is She receives then, much more
heat from him, In fact, it is easily calcu-
lated that of our earth were set travelling
on the path Of Venus, we should receive
almost exactly twice as mach heat from the
sun as we do at present. This would be
unbearable, except, perhaps, in the polar
AZ 81
that tremendous sun above the horizon all
through the twenty-four hours. would be
scarcely besrable. Besides, what con-
trast between the hot polar summer and the
cold polar winter, when for weeks together
the sun would not be seen at all. Altogether
this earth would be miserable home for
VS. if her path were as close to the sun as
that Of Venus.
We see, then, that either there must be
some IRREGULARITIES about Venus which
prevent the sun from heating people there
as he wsuld certainly heat if our home were
there, or else the creatures which live on
Venus must be different from ourselves and
the other inhabitants Of our earth. I'm
fortunately, We cannot make telescopes
large enough 70 show % what is going on
upon that planet, and there is no reason
for hoping that such telescopes can ever be
made. What We know, however, about the
planets condition does not seen to sh cw that
creatures living there would be more COM
Portable than weshoul1 be il the earth were
put where Venus is. Just the
contrary, SO far as we can judge. You know
that the seasons on our earth are caused by
the fact that she turns on slanted axis. II
her axis were upright, there would be no
seasons if it were more slsnted, the con-
trast between the summer and winter would
be greater. Now Venus has her axis much
more slauted than the earth's, 80 that her
seasons must be very marked indeed.
Thus the heat Of her summer weather must
be even more terrible than we thought Just
now.
But there is yet another point to be mo-
ticed- You know that on the upper slopes
Of lofty mountains there Is sasw al the
year round, even in the torrid zone. That
is because the air up there is 30 rare that
it does mot net like the denser air lower
down, which IS : sort Of clothing for the
earth, keeping the heat from escaping. Now
ii the air Of Venus were very rare, some
thing Of the same sort might happen on
that planet. Just ~ people who live in
torrid zones seek the high mountain slopes
u the hottest seasons Of the year, and find
there . temperate climate, % The inhabi-
tants Of Veaus night find it possible TO bear
the suns intease heat il the air Of the plan
ct were rare like hat abeve the shew>line
in our mouatain .egisns.
But it seems that, On the contrary, the
air Of Venus u sven deassr than ours. And
it seems also TO b moist air, which ID
just the kind Of air that keeps the heat in
moist. The aif u Venus IL, in fact, %
dense and most thst il must be very uneon.
Portable 70 live IN, quite spast ffsa IL in
Tease heat; that = - ~, i wsaA - very
uncomfortable for creatures ike en-
selves.
paanst unlsss thsre sse 49, and eeeone =
- plaasEs ssrfsss. H deGbt, -.
Vsnss - hss eeatiaea1s 81 eesans, ~