The sun., 1894-01-28
TWO EEIGHBORs OF THE EARTH
The Planet Venus, with Its Perpetual Day
and Perpetual Nishtt and Jupiter Be-
coming the World OF the Future.

The Planet Venus. with Its Perpetual Day
and Perpetual Nishtt and Jupiter he
coming the World or the Future.
Two very wonderful worlds are now con-
spicuously visible in the heavens the planets
Jupiter and Venus He must be a careless
observer OF nature who has not noticed them
In the early evening far outshining even the
brilliant Sirius the Achilles OF the celestial
host Venus Is the brighter to our eyes. but
Jupiter Ia by far the larger In reality. The
former adorns tho southwestern sky Just after
sunset. while the latter shines q little south
east OF the zenith Venus is the twin OF the
earth. her diameter being about ZOO miles
or only some POO miles less than that OF our
globe. Jupiter is the Goliath OF planets. being
III. 500 miles in diameter. or about |, 800 times
as great as tho earth In volume. Jupiter
makes q less brilliant appearance than Venus.
because It is ten times as far away.
When a telescope Is directed to the two
planets the difference between them becomes
much more striking. Venus looks then like a
crescent moon. dazzlingly bright. with faint
shades that can only be detected by a prac-
tised eye and q good glass. Jupiter. on the
other hand is maRnined into a huge globe.
perceptibly hattened at the poles. streaked
with Irregular belts Of various colors on each
side OF its equator. and accompanied by its
four moons. the shadows OF one or more Of
which. as black as drops OF ink. may occa-
sonally be seen slowly crossing its vast
cloudy surface
Since Venus IL so much nearer to the earth.
its distance at present being less than 90 Ooo.-
600 miles. while that OF Jupiter is 400. 900 900.
II would be natural TO expect that the surface
OF Venus should appear more clearly defined
in telescopes than that OF Jupiter does. As
matter OF fact however We can see very little
of the surface OF Venus. The features OF tho
planet are hidden in its own brightness. Ap-
pArently Its atmosphere Is filled with clouds
OF else that atm mosphsre itself reflects so much
OF the sunlight that 1t becomes an effectuaI
veil conceAllng tho face OF the planet beneath.
The best time to look at Venus with telescope
is In broad daylight In fact the planet can,
Just now be seen with the naked eve as II
crosses the meridian about o'clock in the
afternoon.
When best seen with powerful telescope.
the surface of Venus appears shaded with
lighter and darker regions. recalling the lands
and seas OF Mars. But these appearances are
30 faint and ill-denned that great uncertainty
exists In regard to them. Yet as long go as 727
Bianehini made a globe OF Venus. based on
his telescope observations. aud gave to GER
tain dark spots on the planet such names as
the Sea Of Columbus" the " Sea Of Galilso."
and the Sea Of Marco Polo"
Most OF the earlier observers Of Venus
thought that that planet rotated on its axis
once in about twenty four hours. so that it's
daTs were OF similar length to terrestrial days.
But in 1890 the famous SehiapATelli the dis
eoyerer OF the canals Of Mara. made the sur
prising announcement that Venus probably
turns onlJ once on its axis In revolving once
around the sun. The year OF Venus. or the
time required for Il TO complete . revolution
around the sun. is about 225 OF our dATa II
sehiaparelll Is right then one side OF Venus
enjoys perpetual daJ while the other side Is
buried in endless night. Between. the light
and the dark henispherss there Is q narrow
region. broadest at the equator. over which
the Aun slowly rises and ssts once In the
course OF every 225 dayA
Il IL not scientific 70 spseulAts concerning
the possible Inhabitants Of YsRuS. but II e In