Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-11-19
miscellaneous 8saaing.
Is VENUS INHABITED?
Probabilities Greater Than In the Case
of Mars.


Of Mars.
The many speculations as to the
possible inhabitants Of Mars and their
supposed engineering works (the So
called canals) have been mooted with
more or less ingenuity. In our opin-
ion the probabilities in favor Of the
habitability of Venus are vastly great
er. This planet, says Prof. Young, is
"the earth's twin sister In magnitude,
density and general constitution"
Surface markings have been seen
from time to time upon the planet
more distinctly observed in Italy and
other more favored latitudes than our
own. On account Of its general prox-
unity to the region Of the sky In which
the sun is found and its great brilli-
ancy in the telescope, Venus Is by no
means an easy object to scrutinize
with satisfactory results.
However, its phases or changes OF
appearance, like the moon, are easily
perceived with very small optical aid
and were among the first fruits OF the
invention Of the telescope. exactly
three centuries ago. From certain ir-
regularities observed upon the termi-
nator or boundary Of the limb and
the blunted appearance Of one OF the
cups of the crescent, various observ-
ers have concluded that there exists
high mountains upon the planets sur
face. Sometimes when the planet Is
in the crescent phase intensely bright
spots have been seen near the polar
regions which may perhaps be ice
caps like those seen on Mars. Dark
ish markings indicating continents
and seas "dimly visible" are also at
times seen, and a rough map Of We
nus was made by Blanchini long ago.
His observations were confirmed by
thousands Of observations made by
De Vico and his assistants, so may
be considered to represent real fea-
lures Of the surface.
of an atmosphere and from observa-
tions Of the transit Of the planet
across the suns disk in 1874 1t was
concluded that the atmosphere Is
about one and one-half times to twice
as extensive as our own. The exis-
tence Of water vapor has been shown
by the spectroscope.
At times the dark portion Of the
light, has been family visible, from
which 1t has been considered probable
that phenomena Of the nature OF the
aurora take place from time to time
upon Venus. So far as known the
planet has no satellite or moon at
tendant upon it, but to a great ex-
tent the want Of moon is made up for
to the possible inhabitants by the
earth. When Venus and the earth
are nearest. they are on the same side
of the sun, and the planet, turning
its dark side toward us, Is invisible
like the moon when new. On the 9TH
er hand, the earth has the whole Of
its illuminated side turned toward the
planet, is on the opposite part Of the
sky to the sun and is consequently
visible as a brilliant object ("full
earth") in the night sky Of the plan
ct. We kncw from the phenomenon
of earth shine that the earth reflects
a considerable quantity Of light to
the moon, part Of which is again re-
flected back to US, and If we suppose
the intrinsic rejecting power Of the
earth's surface to be equal to that OF
Venus ct may, indeed, be. and prob
ably Is, considerably less) it must give
much greater light to the planet and
be a much more brilliant object In its
sky that Venus ever appears to US,
owing to the following circumstances.
When brightest only a small part
Of the planets illuminated surface Is
turned toward US, but even so 1t ap-
pears more conspicuous than any
other star or planet in our sky, and Is
often visible in day light. On the 9TH
er hand, the whole Of the earth's IL
Illuminated hemisphere is turned to-
ward Venus when they are at their
nearest together, and the earth is
then on the meridian at the planets
midnight, being in opposition to the
sun. Thus as a night luminary the
earth to some extent plays toward
Venus the part the moon does for US.
We have seen that there Is evil
dence Of the existence Of continents
and seas, air and water vapor upon
the planet. The amount Of sunlight
it receives, though greater than our
share, is not excessively so, for there
appears reason to believe that polar
snow caps exist, and in other re-
spects, for conditions favorable to the
existence of beings organized not very
much unlike those with which we are
familiar on this earth, We have as
much evidence as we can reasonably
expect. We may thus conclude that
the planet is in most respects not dis
similar to the earth, and is the abode
Of life, at least in the regions north
and south Of the equator, If not on
the "torrid zone" itself.-Knowledge
and Scientific News.