Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-06-27
BEAUTIFUL VENUS.
somethinx About the Present brilliant
Evening star.


Last night, In the midst of the magnih.
cent afterglow which followed the sunset,
everybody must have remarked the glitter
ing planet lust over the western hills.
II must have been noticed before. Long
before any other stars are visible in the
twilight, itsparkles like diamond against
the last glow of the sunset; and as the
heavens darken II grows brighter ana
brighter, making even Arcturus and Capelis
look dim by contrast with its spencer, ana
attracting the eve like signal lamp. Night
by night il rises higher and glows yet more
brilliantly. Those who watch Il through
the rominr summer evenings will see It m
or, ase until, like q miniature sun, 1t Casts
shadows behind the objects upon which 1t
shines. This splendid twinDef u the
planet Venus; and it deserves the name OF
the Twin Sister Of the Earth.
There are, indeed, many points OF reseui-
bIsnce between the globe we tread and that
Beautiful star, They are both nearly the
same size, Venus being only about S9o
miles smaller in diameter than the earth.
The seasons on Venus are believed 70 be
very like our seasons, since her inclina-
tion TO the plane Of her orbit resembles
that of the earth. The day on Venus,
according to the best estimate OF the
period OF her rotation, is only about
haitian hour shorter than our day. The
weight of bodles on Venus is nearly the
same as on the earth. Her year is only
about 225 days long, instead OF $40, ana
being nearer the sun she gets considerably
more light and heat than We do. She mas
an atmosphere more extensive than ours
which is visible at times as ring OF
light around the edge OF the
planet Certain spectroscopic obserya'
lions have led 10 the Inference that her at
mosphere 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 rea'
son to think from the telescope appear
ance of Venus, and her excessive bright
ness, that her atmosphere is more cloudy
than ours, for the upper surfaces OF clouds
reflect light as brilliantly rs snow. III TINS
is so, the clouds may serve to protect the
planets surface from the intensity OF the
suns rays. Mr.. Proctor says OF the SIM.
larity between Venus and the earth: HAD
Venus but a moon rs the earth has, We
might doubt whether in the whole universe
two orbs exist which are so srlSihSiy
like TO each other" :,
The great brilliancy Of Venus renders II
exceedingly difficult to study her appear.
ance with the telescope. Some skillful
observers have drawn maps of the spots
seen upon her surface; some have seem or
thought they saw, mountains. others
equally skillful have denied that any spots
are visible. Their visibility seems to de-
pend upon the state Of the air, and they
have been best seen in the sky of Italy.
The most interesting result that could be
obtained by the study of Venus would be
the answer to the question: Is the planet
inhabitede At present astronomers appear
10 be pretty unanimous in the opinion that
if any of the suns family Of worlds beside
the earth is inhabited, Venus is most likely
To be that one. The faith of those who be-
lieye in the doctrine of the plurality OF
worlds, having been driven from the air
less and waterlesS orb of the ancient moon
and repellCd from the fiery furnace
Of the sun, from the deserts OF
Mars, and the tumbling vspOrS of Jupiter
and Saturn, and being unable to penetrate
the mysteries OF far away Uranus and Nep-
tune. may vet rest upon Venus. There is
the same round of seasons and the alterna-
tons of day and night; there is air, there
is water, and the force Of gravity is almost
precisely the same rs on the earth. Argu-
ing from analogy, it may be assumed that
Venus is the dwelling place of race like
ourselves who look with admiration upon
the earth as the chief ornament OF their
midnight skies.