El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-07-29
SOUTH

go TO prove for him that Venus shows
permanent features not hidden by
clouds as others think. Moreover, the
permaEence of these markings shows
that Venus rotates on her axis once in
225 days, and not once in "a hours,
as earlier astronomers had thought
These observations of the Low ell OBJ
servatory are exceedingly interesting
and are well worth the careful study
of every one.
Question OF Rotation.
The question of the rotation period
Of the planet is the most vital one in
the whole problem. If Venus rotates
once in 225 days. 1T keeps always the
same face towards the sun, for it takes
225 days TO make a revolutionn about
the sun In this respect the motion
resembles that of the moon which al
ways turns the same face towards the
earth How Is the rotation time OF
heavenly body determined? On a body
like Mars, which shows well recognized
markings, it is very easy, by noting
when the markings return, to their for
mer positions. The features of Venus
are so transitory that this method
leads to no certain success. There is
only one other means possible and that
is by use of the speetroseope. This
remarkable instrument can measure
line of sight determining the motion
accurately in asiles per second
Without going into the detail of
how these observations are made, suf-
flee 70 say that with Venus they are
OF the utmost degree of difficulty, and
tax to the utmost the great refinements
of medernn astronomy. This has been
tried at many observatories where
powerful Spectroscopes are attached 10
the telescopes, but practically at one
observatory only are results stated
with confidence, and that at the Flag
staff observatory; and there the spec
troscope confirms the visual observa-
tons that Venus rotates on her axis
once in 225 days
If this be true. one side Of the planet
is always turned towards the sun. and
here the sun would beat down contin-
uously with a torrid fury which would
make all life such as we know on this
earth of ours utterly impossible. The
other side of Venus permanently turned
from the sun would have perpetual
night with frigid temperatures hum
dreds of degrees lower than any
known in our coolest Arctic night
According to Lowell, there would be
circulation of atmosphere from the
tropfc zones to the frigid ones The
intense cold of the latter would freeze
would thus be deposited as snow and
ice on the side of Venus turned away
from the sun. This process has been
going On for ages, and LowelPs view
is. therefore, that all the water on We
nus is collected in the form of ice and
snow on one side of the planet The
side OF venus turned toward the sun
IS devoid of all moisture. From this
idea, Venus cannot have any clouds
n az nil - -,
quently, according to Lowell, Venus is
entirely unfit for habitation.
q Another authority, Prof T J T Sec
OF Mare Island. California, agrees in
the main with Prof. Lowell. but differs |
from him by thinking that the border |
land on Venus between permanent dav
and perpetual night is habitable and is |
Inhabited
Conservative astronomers of wide ex-
perienee believe that We never have
seen anything of the real surface Of |
Venus. and that we know nothing at |
all OF the Availability of Venus
Comets.
There are 10 comets visible. VOLTS |
periodic comet has returned. hu+ if cen
be seen only in the very largest tele- |
scopes On the morning of July Z at |
the Lick observatory, Kiess picked up /
a new comet In the constellation of !,
a
81 seconds, and decIinatfon 95 |
degrees, 10 minutes north. The follow.
ing morning the writer observed this |
new visitor in the II inch telescope of |
the 1erkes observatory and also in /
the three inch finder. It show ed as a |
foggy star Photographs on the same |
and following mornings by Prof. Bar
nard showed that the Keiss comet had |
a tail degree and a half in leneth
and II was usually between the sixth
ana seventh magnitude. Spectra taken |
by Mr.. Parkhurst show the typical cv-
anogen band at 1888, and the carbon
band at wavelength 4710. The comet
was moving southwest when discov-
cred.
On the morning Of July II, 1911. d.
rector Frank Schlesinger, of the Ale
gheny observatory, reported that
Lalrly orlght comet was seen just be-
fore dawn in the eastern sky.
Inc right ascension is four hours