The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-02-28
THE PLANET VENUS
A Beautiful star which Battles the Science
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of Astronomers.
The brilliant evening star which, the
HntfoId Times SAYS, has SO drawn the
admiring gaze OF mi Ions OF people all
winter. g now at the nearest view-its
greatest apparent distance from The sun,
about 1919 and does not set until $50.
or four hours after the sun. After the
IL h il will begin once more ITS approach
t. the governing central orb, and before
the end of April it will be lo, t n its
beams. Venus and Mercury, the Two
'inside plant ts"--and possibly that dU-
bious other one named. il not very de
cisivelv seen-keep pretty close to the
sun. Younger children of the planetary
family, they keep near the fireplace
while the older brothers and sisters are
roaming far and wide: Neptune the
supposed first born of them, being more
than 5000 000,000 of miles away from
the parent orb. AT such vast distance
one would imagine the people IN such a
world for we suppose all OF the planets,
maugte Mr.. Proctor, may be inhabited
would be uncomfortably cold. They
must be, II the suns power to warm a
planet depends upon the planets near
ness to the supposed central fire;
theory, which may however, need revis.
ion when we acquire fuller knowledge
iof the office of planets atmosphere IN
conserving or modifying solar heat.
Thus, our brilliant evening star-which
is to become, next summer, the morning
star-though it is, next after the sun and
moon, the most brilliant object in the
heavens Simply because il is our near.
est neighbOr among the planets, may
not be, by any means, twice as hot as
the earth, although that ought TO be,
automatically, about its condition il
distance from the sun were the only
factor of the problem. Venus is cover
ed at all times with mass of clouds 81
dense IS to conceal the solid body of Il Q
planet itself from the telescope obser
walton. One astronomer (Schroter) was
sure he had seen mountains and other
markings on the planet itsef-and he
made them to be for higher than airy
earthly mount iins; but other observers
are very slow to declare that this is really
so. Possible the big Lick telescope may
reveal something new of Venus, but
this seems hardly probable, Though 1t is
now only $4,000 600 miles from us-or
only half the the distance of Mars, our
uCAb dlulOSl at Ut5 near
est, the brightness of the re hpcion OF
Venus cloud envelope, and the nearness
of the planet, at most times, to the sun.
combine 10 render 1t difficult and I'M
satisfying subject CT telescope study.
We know fan more of Mars than we do
of Venus, chit fly because although
smaller planet and farther off, he is out
side, instead of insid o. the earth's
orbit, and hence, berg also at times
free from clouds, he eau he well studied,
and reveals conditions as to an atmos-
phere, and seas and continents, much ike
those of our own world. Venus, how
ever although battling object for as
Economical study is by odds the most
beautiful star, to earths people, of all
the starry hosts. Its beams are bright
enough, in a moonless evening, to cast
distinct shadow, Indeed, Venus can often
be seen in the daytime with the unassist.
ed eye-provided one knows just where
to look for her. 1t undergoes enormous
apparent changes of sz9 and brightness.
according to its position on this or the
other side of the sun: difference in
diameter of at least six times During
the next six weeks it will head straight
for the sun-apparenty, to us-and
on emerging from his superior effu!-
gence will reappedr, west OF him, as the
morning ttlr. 1t is never more beauti
full than IN that aspect. Seen in the
cool, still, dark and dewy hour of day
break in June, when all the air is cleal
and still, Venus is large and luminous,
seemingly even beyond her wont In her
character of evening star. 1t is but for
a little while, then
For breeze of morning moves,
And the planet of Love is on high,
Beginning to faint in the light that she loves,
On bed of daft odil sky
To faint in the light of the sun she loves,
To faint in his light, and to die.