The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-06-04
NEW FACTS AROITT VENTS

cries.
NEW FACTS ABOUT VENUS.
The planet Venus, though our next of
Kin and our nearest neighbor. has long
been mystery to astronomers They
ala not know what she was or what
she was likely to be. They had not de-
termlned whether she had season. or,
more important still, whether she had
day. Without a day life could not
exist. All growth, animal or vegeta-
bic, depends upon recurrent supply of
water which must not be too much or
too little. The alienation of night
and day produces a periodic cycle of
meteorological change which makes
rain possible. If there is no variation
in the cause there can be none in the
effect, and with the absence of change
all life would become impossible
Moreover a planet without seasons
would seem to us though not an i'm
possible yet still a strange place to live
man intensely and perpetually hot
belt at the equator, eternal unchanging
cold at the poles, and storm swept,
temperate zone between
Whether planet has a day or not
will depend on how it rotates on it's
own axis in its yearly circuit around
the sun. 1t will have a day of greater
or less duration unless it turns on its
own axis just as fast as, and no faster
than, its orbital revolution carries il
round the sun. In such a rate of rota-
ton the one turning will offset the 9TH
er, and, relatively to the sun the planet
will seem not to turn at all-that is. it
Will be eternal day on one side and
eternal night on the other side
Whether planet has seasons or not
depends upon the tilt of it's axis to
the plane of its orbit. If perpendicular
to that plane it viii have no season.
1t was to determine whether Venus
had day or not, and whether or not
a change of seasons, that Mr.. Lowell
last August began his observations at
Flagstaff. The difficulty in observing
Venus is that the planet is so near the
sun that it 01ust be viewed either
through the haze which hangs above
the horizon after sunset or through
the unsteady atmosphere of midday.
Day air is useless as a rule
VENUS HAS NO DAY.
Flagstaff proves to be exceptionally
favorable for day observations. and this
lies at the basis of Mr.. Lowelps very
important and significant discoveries
regarding the hitherto almost unknown
nature of Venus. At times the condi-
tons We're so excellent as to reveal the
planet almost as if cut in steel against
the sky. The fact that other observers
under less favorable atmospheric con-
ditions have failed to find the mark
ings which he saw on the surface of
the planet is no discredit to their keen
ness OF observation, and their failure
TO see what he saw at Flagstaff certain
ly should not in any way discredit the
accuracy of his work.
The markings which he saw were
plainly seen by every one of six OBJ
servers in Flagstaff, and were visible
equally Well through three different
telescopes. Mr.. Lowell relied on low
power eye piece, which magnified the
planets disk to about the size of the
moon seen with the naked eve. The
markings We're absolutely and clearly
differentiated from one another.
The permanency of these markings.
as shown in the accompanying draw
ings, taken at different hours of the
same day, proved that they do not
change their position with reference to
the sun-that is, that Venus rotation
period and orbital period are identical.
Venus, in other words, always turns the