Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-10-15
Miseellaneuas 8saains.
SPEcULATIoNs ABOUT VENUS.
Probabilities of Habitabilty Vastly
Greater Than Mars.

Probabilities of Availability Vastly
Greater Than Mars.
Though many speculations as to the
possible inhabitants Of Mars and their
supposed engineering works (the So
called Canals" etc. have been mooted
with more or less ingenuity, in our
opinion the probabilities in favor of
the inhabitability of Venus are vastly
greater. This planet, says Professor
Young, is "the earth's twin sister in
magnitude, density and general consti-
tuition"
Surface markings have been seen
from time to time upon the planet,
more distinctly observed in Italy and
other more favored ATTITUDES 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 bril-
liancy in the telescope, Venus is by no
means an easy object to scrutinize with
satisfactory results, says the London
knowledge and Scientific Truth.
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 or the
cusps Of the crescent, various obserV-
ers have concluded that there exist
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. Darkish
markings, indicating continents and
seas "dimly visible" are also at. times
seen, and a rough map Of Venus was
made by Blanchini long ago. His OBJ
servations were confirmed by thou
sands Of observations made by De
Vico and his assistants, so may be
considered to represent real features of
the surface.
We have already stated that there
is evidence of the existence of an at
mosphere, and from observations OF
the transit of the planet across the
suns disc in 1874 it was concluded that
the atmosphere is about one and
half times to twice as extensive as
our own. The existence Of water vapor
has been shown by the spectroscope.
At times the dark portion of the
planet, unilluminated by the suns
light, has been family visible, from
which it 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 great extent
the want of a moon is made up for
to the possible inhabitants by the
earth. When Venus and the earth are
nearest, as we have already said, they
are on the same side of the sun, and
the planet turning its dark side to-
ward us, is visible, like the moon when
new. On the other hand, the earth
has the whole Of it's 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 planet. We know from the
phenomenon Of earth shine that the
earth reflects a considerable quantity
Of light to the moon, part Of which Is
again reflected back to us, and II we
supposed the intrinsic rejecting power
Of the earth's surface to be equal to
that of Venus Git may indeed be, and
probably is, considerably lessj 1t must
give much greater light to the planet
and be a much more brilliant object
in its sky than Venus ever appears to
us, owing to the following circum-
stances. When brightest, only small
part Of the planets Illuminated surface
is turned toward us, but even so it ap-
pears more conspicuous than any otn-
er star or planet in our sky, and is Of
ten visible in daylight. On the other
hand, the whole of the earth's illumi-
mated hemisphere is turned toward
Venus when they are at their nearest
together, and the earth is then on the
meridian at the planets midnight, be-
ing in Opposition" to the sun. Thus as
night luminary, the earth, to some
extent, plays toward Venus the part
the moon does for US.
We have seen that there Is evidence
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 snowcaps exist and in other
respects, 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.