The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1896-11-28
VENUS AND AERCuRY.
New Discoveries Rslat-
in9 to These Planets.


tory And that. lfstssry and Veaus 20
tate on their axis once during their rev
olution about the sun. Venus 10 not
- has been supposed,
but il veiled in an atmosphere, but Ner-
curry h not.
Thi. Official Dispatch from Mr.. Lowell
for distribution to astronomers il ex-
ceedingly interesting, since it suggesta
radical changes in the generally 90
cepted opinions concerning tie
motions Of these planets and the stmos-
pheric conditions existing on Venus.
OF course the data from which the
opinions have been deduced cannot ~
yet be stated, for the information has
come to us by telegraph. Observations
Of Mercury and Venus have always been
difficult, the reasons therefor in the
different planets being, however, not
the same. Mercury never leaves the
company of the sun, its greatest DIS
tance from it in the sky being not more
than about 30 degrees. It 10 on that ac-
count enveloped always in sunlight,
which dims its brightness and makes
the details Of its surface difficult to de.
tect. Some so years ago astronomers
throught they discovered motion about
its axis and fixed the day at about Ave
minutes less than ours. But this time,
while generally accepted and given
place in text books, has been without
absolute proof. It has been conceded
that little or no atmosphere exists
there, for IL it did it would have been
detected during the transits of the
planet across the SUMS disk. The TO
tation period must in this case be deter
mined from observation Of the actual
surface of Mercury, and hitherto no OBJ
server has been fortunate enough to
to get even glimpses Of this.
With Venus the case is quite different.
The brightness Of this planet il such as
to obscure vision, 80 that the best obser-
vations have been taken at times when
there was daylight present to tone
down it's brilliancy. 1t has been the
general opinion that the surface of the
planet was hidden from us by dense
clouds in the atmosphere, while noun
tain peaks piercing these clouds or per-
manent spots have been lacking, 20 that
the time of rotation has been in doubt.
1t has been set down, however. as about
an hour longer than the day OF the
earth. Some observations Of things
which were supposed to give clew to
the rotation have been recorded, but,
like the satellite which was seen by the
older astronomers to be in company
with the planet, the later astronomer
with his powerful telescopes has not
been able to see them.
The dispatch from Flagstaff suggests
| the curious fact that these planets
have each of them only one day in each
year, and this win very readily settle
the question Of possible inhabitants,
unless indeed there are nomadic tribes
which follow the sun and live always on
the sunny side of the planet, for the
other portion, exposed to darkness and
inter-planetary cold, can hardly be
able to support life. With reference to
the atmosphere of Venus, it has been
generally conceded that one exists
| which is denser than ours. The rca-
sons for this belief are, briefly, that at
the time when Venus is q crescent the
hours extend over more than hall q
circle, which they could not do were
there no atmosphere to reflect the
light; and, further. when during The
trunsits of Venus . portion OF The
planet has entered upon the suns disk
or remains upon it an illumination OF
the whole edge OF the planet has been
seen, which could be accomplished in
no way known to us except the dfllu-
sion Of the sunlight through an mt
mosphcre. The degree Of this diffusion
being considered it is probable that the
atmosphere is quite dense Mr.. Lowell
| il. however assured that the supposed
! clouds do not exist aed all that prevents
our observation Of the conAguration ol
Venus il the difficulty of looking
through its atmosphere. = Boston
Transcript. Mk n