Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-11-02
yENUS...FACTS AND SPECULATIONS.

The transit of Venus in December next is
naturally directing attention to the brilliant
planet which then as a small round black spot
passes across the suns surface Mr.. Richard
A. Proctor gives in Knorledw some interest
ing facts concerning the condition Of Venus
and some speculations as to whether the PLAN
ct is inhabited. Venus, he says, has been
measured, and we find that she is a globe
nearly as large as the earth. Like the earth,
she travels round and round the sun cOntinu-
ally, but not in the same time as the earth.
The earth goes round tile sun once in twelve
months, while Venus goes round once in about
seven and a half months; so that her year,
the time in which the seasons run through
their changes, is four and a half months less
than ours. If Venus has four seasons like
Ours,-spring, summer, autumn and winter,-
each of these seasons last eight weeks. Venus
also like our earth, turns on her axis, and so
has night and day as we have. Her day is not
quite so long as ours, but the difference
about twenty-five mnutes-iS not very impOr
tant.
But when we consider some other points,
we see that Venus, beautiful though she looks,
would not be a comfortable home for us.
Venus is much nearer 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 calculated that if our earth
were set travelling on the path Of Venus, we
should receive almost exactly twice as much
heat from the sun as we do at present. This
would be unbearable, except, perhaps, in the
Polar regions and even there the summer,
with that tremendous sun above the horizon
all through the twenty-four hours, would be
hardly bearable. Besides, what contrast be-
tween the hot Polar summer and the cold
Polar winter, when for weeks together the sun
~ lo ,f I,,t hnv ,nr
axis much more slanted than the errth's, SO
that her seasons must be very marked indeed.
Thus the heat of her summer weather must
be even more terrible than if her globe were
| inclined like the earth'S.
Again, the air of Venus is denser than Ours.
/ And it seems also to be moist air, which is
just the kind of air that keeps the heat in most.
The air of Venus is in fact so dense and
moist that the planet would be uncomfortable,
quite apart from the intense heat, for crea-
lures like ourselves. There cannot be mos-
ture in the air of planet unless there are
! seas and oceans in the planets surface. No
doubt, then, Venus has her continents and
oceans, her islands and promontories, and in
land seas and lakes very much as our earth
has. Then there must he rivers on the land
and currents on the ocean; there must be
clouds and rain, wind and storm and perhaps
snow and hail. Whether the planet is in
habited or not, it would be difficult to say.
Perhaps it is world getting ready for use as
home for living creatures. Most physicians
believe that the sun is gradually parting with
his heat. If, millions of years hence, the sun
should only give out half as much heat as he
does, Venus would be rs comfortable place
to live in as our earth is now. But at present
it may safely be said that if Venus is inhab-
tied, it must be by creatures very different
from those inhabiting the earth.-Ne'r York
' Iribupr.