The Osceola times., 1882-07-29
THE EARTn's TWIN SISTER.
Interesting Remarks and specuiationso oon'
cernIng the Planet Venus.
New York sun.

New York sun.
Everybody must have noticed the bril-
liant star that shines in the West Just
after sundown. Long before any elher
stars are visible in the twilight, il spar
les like dian ond against the last glow
of the sunset: and as the heavens darken
il grows brighter and brighter, making
even Arcturus and Capella look dim by
contrast with its splendor, and attract
ing the eye like signal lamp. Night by
night it rises higher and CLOVIS yet more
brilliantly. Those wlro watch II through
the summer evenings will see IT increase
until, like a miniature sun, it casts shad
ows behind the objects on which 1t
shines. This splendid twinkler is the
planet Venus: aud it deserves the name
of the twin sister of the earth.
There are, indeed, many points OF re.
semblance between the globe we tread
aud the beautiful star. They are both
of nearly the same size, Venus being
only about 300 niles smaller in diameter
/ than the earth. The seasons in Venus
are believed to be very much like our
seasons, since her inclination to the plane
/ of her orbit resembles that of the earth.
I Tie day on Venus, according to the best
estimates of the period of her rotation, Is
only about half an hour shorter than our
dav. The weight of bodies on Venus is
nearly the same as on the earth. Her
year is only about 225 days long instead
of S65, and, being nearer the sun, she
gets more light and heat than We do.
She has an atmosphere more extensive
than ours. which is visible at times as a
ring Of light around the edge of the
planet. Certain spectroseopic observa'
tions have led to the inference that her
atmosphere resembles ours in its compO-
sition. II she has an atmosphere like
ours, she undoubtedly has oceans and
rivers and clouds. and with them animal
and vegetable life. In fact, there is some
reason to think from the telescope ap-
pearanCe of Venus and her excessive
brightness that her atmosphere is more
cloudy than ours, for the upper surfaces
of clouds reflect light rs brilliantly as
snow. If this is so. the clouds may serve
to protect the planets surface from the
intensity of the suns rays. Mr.. Proctor
says of the similarity between Nenus and
the earth: "Had Venus but a moon, as
the earth has, we might doubt whether
in the whole universe two orbs exist
which are so strikingly similar to each
other"
The question of Venus moon is one OF
the most interesting and puzzling in as
tronomy. The evidence that Venus has g
moon is very curious. Some astronomer,
pretend to have seen Venus moon; 9TH
ers DENY the possibility of its existence
not on the ground that there is any phys
ical reason against it, but because the
best modern telescopes have never re-
vealed its presence. Mr.. Proctor, after
reviewing the evidence, is inclined &c
put Venus moon in the category of as
Economical illusions. But then, astrono
mers used to talk confidently OF 'the
snowy poles of moouless Mars" and now
we know that Mars has two moons
Moreover these have since their dis
covery been seen with many telescopes
which never showed them before, sc
that the mere fact that big telescopes
have not shown Wears moon is not con
elusive evidence that it does not exist
Most of the alleged observations of We
nus moon were made in the last century
when telescopes had not reached the
perfection which they have since attain
ed: vet too much stress can not be lait
upon that fact, for moderH astronomers
frequently have occasion to express sur
prize at the keen powers of observation
shown by the star gaZer of one or twC
hundred wears ago. An example OF thl'
was the observation by David Ritten
house, of Philadelphia, in 1863, of the
circle of light which the refractiye power
of Venus atmosphere throws around the
planet when it is between the earth and
the sun. The same phenomenon was
not noticed again until 1866, and there
are very few rec rded observations of j
in modern times. Yet nobody regard
it As a deceptive appearance. Besides il
must be remembered that the large tele
scopes in the observatories are not very
often employed in such searches.
Professional astronomers, especially
those who draw salaries from Govern
ments, have made up their minds thai
Venus has no moon, aud II would do nC
good to their self-complacency to have
one discovered. Amateurs may do better
The last reported observation of Venus
moon that We recoleet was made by .
Pennsylvania amateur astronomer named
Smytb, in April, 1873. The earlier Oh
servations were made by such men ~
Cassini and Short. who v ere among the
most famous astronomers of the time
: Upon tine whole, IL may lie said that while
the existence of Venus moon has not
been established. il has also not been
disproved, and every such opportunity
as the present, when Venus swings into
the neighhorhood ofthe earth, should be
employed in the search Of it, 1t is note
worthy that one of the observations OF
4. ID. Il fita
transit OF the planet across the suns disk
in l76l. No similar observation has
since been made, but during the transit
Of next December an opportunity Will
be offered to test the matter ain, II
is a curious fact that all the earliest oh
servations IT Venus moon were msdg
between 1872 and 1856. Il was again
seen between l740 and l764. After that
it seems not to have been detected unit
the PENNSYLVANIA observer, smyth, re
ported that he had seen it in 1873.
Something like a century intervene'
between each set of observations and the
following set IL was during what fol
the sake Of convenience, We NAV cal
the second period Of visibility that il
Yas seen. according to Scheu,en, in tran
sit with Venus across the sun. Ii II
really was detected in 1873, then there Il
the more hope Of its being seen again
during the transit in December. since
this transit, like that Of l76l, falls in one
of the supposed periods Of visibility. II
is almo.timposaible. however, to imagine
any sufficient reason why. ifsueh a body
exists. it should only be visible for few
wears at time, and then disappear iol
] uDuar1 Of a century