Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-05-31
The Star Of the Evening.

Many who admire the beautiful star which
now adorns the western sky until more than
may not be aware that its splendor is derived
from the sun; that In it, like on the earth night
curtains the landscape morning dawns and
seasons IN quick succession come and CO. Lofty
mountains show that forces similar to those
which upheaved the Alps and lifted the sum
m1ts OF the Andes above the regions of eternal
snow e , have ridged its surface and covered it
clouds float In its atmosphere and CLEANS of
light which dart across Its sky afford evidence
that IN It lightning seams the sky and the thun-
der1s roll reyerberates through the valleys.
But three hundred miles less In diamefer than
the earth, and revolving on its axis In nearlythe
came time, Venus makes thirteen revolutions
around the sun while the former makes eight.
AS tne Inclination OF the planet to the plane of
Its orbit Is at least 81 degrees its torrd zone is
double that extent, or los degrees, and its polar
circles "a degrees from the poles. 1t, therefore,
mas Two 1rlg1d and tOrrid, but no temperate
zone. Since the sun must arrive at the EQUATOR
and depart from 1t to the distance OF 81 degrees
twice In each OF its years, there must be two
zone and winter and summer In each OF the
fr1g1d. Venus becomes the morning star after
It's superior conjunction, when 1t appears,
through the telescope. crescent-shaped, like the
new moon. The orbits of this planet and of
Mercury are within the orbit Of the earth, and
consequently they are never seen In opposition
TO the sun, that Is In the east when the sun
east. At its inferior conjunction Venus is nearer
TO the earth than any other planet except the
neon, and sometimes when approaching the
greatest distance, which it seems to recede from
the sun, casts shadow and is visible in the full
light OF day. II at the period when it Is nearest
to the earth the enlightened part were fully
turned towards the latter, this planet would APP
pear twenty times as brilliant as 1t now does
and almost vie with the moon In dissipatlng the
darkness OF night. Being situated at about one
tnird less distance from the sun than the earth
venus receives more light from that lumlnary
than Is received by the former planet, and
seems not to require the aid of moon Never
tbeleSS, several astronomers have affirmed that
they had noticed such body, and have even
gone SO far as to calculate the orbit of the sun
been verified.
The transits of Venus, or its passage between
the earth and the sun, when it appears as a
round dark spot moving slowly across the solar
disc, have been made to assist in determining
the distance OF the earth from the central lumf-
nary. The last transit occurred in December
1sl4, and the next will take place In December,
1882. AS this can be viewed In the United
States, 1t will awaken greater interest than
the transit which Rtttenhouse and others OBJ
served more than century ago. But four
transits Of Venus have been observed, and after
1882, 121 years will elapSe before the alternate
ly morning and evening star will pursue Its
seeming pathway across the surface OF the
great orb OF day.-IP hiLadelphiGsIT Times