Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-10-21
VENUS.


The transit of Venus In December next is nat.
uraiiy directing attention to the brilliant planet
which then, as small round black spot, passes
across the suns face. Mr.. Richard A. Proctor
gives in knowledge some interesting facts con-
corning the condition OF Venus and some specu-
lations as to whether the planet is Inhabited.
Venus, he says, has been measured, and We find
that she is globe nearly as large as the earth
Like the earth. she travels round and round the
sun continually, but not In the same time as the
earth. The earth goes round the sun once i'm
twelve months, while Venus goes round once In
about seven and half months; 30 that her
year. the time in which the seasons run through
their changes, is four and q half months less
than ours. III Venus has four seasons
like ours,-spring summer. autumn and win
ter,-each of these seasons lasts eight weeks.
Venus also, like our earth, turns on her axis,
and SO has night and day We have. Her day
Is not quite so long ours. but the differ
ence-about twenty tive minutes-is not very
important
But when we consider some other points we
| see that Venus, beautiful though she looks,
would not be q comfortable home for us. Venus
| is much nearer to the sun-the great fire Of the
| solar system-than our earth 10. She receives,
then, much more heat from him. In fact IL 10
easily cal ulated that if our earth were set tray
cling 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 scarcely parable. Besides, what
contrast between the hot Polar summer and
the cold Polar winter. when four weeks together
the sun would not be seen at all. But Venus
has her axis much more slanted than the earths,
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 wee in
clined like the earths.
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 i'm most. The
air Of Venus is. I'm fact, dense and moist that
the planet would be very uncomfortable, quite
apart from the intense heat, for creatures like
ourselves. There cannot be moisture In the
air of planet unless there are seas and oceans
on the planets surface. No doubt, then. Venus
has her cont nents and oceans. her islands and
promontories and inland seas and lakes, very
much as our earth has. then there must he
rivers on the land and currents in the ocean;
there must be clouds and rain. wind and storm,
thunder and lightning. and perhaps snow and
hail. Whether the planet is an inhabited world
or not. it would be difficult to say. Perhaps 1t
Is q world getting ready for use a home for
living creatures. Most physicists believe that
the sun is gradually parting with his heat. IT.
millions of years hence the sun should only give
out half as much heat as he does, Venus would
be as comfortable place to live in as our earth
Is now. But at present il may safely be SAID
that If Venus Is inhabited, it must be by cres-
lures very different from those inhabiting the
earth.