The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-06-24
Scientists Discuss
Venus and Planets

Venus, according to DR.. c. G.. Abbot.
assistant secretary of the Smithsun-I
ian Institution, is The only one known
TO scientists whose conditions most
nearly approximate those under which
life thrilvS.
Writing in the annual report of
the institution. just made public, DR..
Abbot, while he does not declare
Venus to hc inhabited, rejects the pos
S'bility of other nearby planets hold
ing intelligent life.
Dr, Abbot does cite, however. the
chance that there may be any num-
hcr of celestial bodies, yet invisible
through the most powerful telescope
IN which there may thrive some sort
Of life.
AS is we'll known, the scientist
states, stars are suns like our own.
and just as Old Sol has his rctinuc of
satellites, of which one, at least, is
.rhah'nG 50 may the distant ones
nav" one or NOR" pOpulouS followers
iioWcVC" most of these are so far
'''''' N-'' ~ 10y bll''u IL - NpIi-
'slvabIc telescopes will ever be so
perfected as to detect their systems
If they have them, or decide whether
or not such bodies do exist
The probability is that they do So"
DR.. Abbot states, "and in such i'm
mense numbers that among them
there may well be many suitable for
aOodeS of intelligent life This sub
iect, of course. opens the door wide
for Spccul;. on. but this field lies ST.
far from the 'rulmS of certainty th,t
1t Is not ny pIrl"S" to enter uprn it
here"
The moon, he continues, is knowa to
be waterless, airlesS, mountainous
desert. There is no probability wnat-
ever that intelligent life can be there
No living things, scarcely even tn,
hardest chemical compound, can ex.
iSt upon the sun because of the intense
heat. Water, if it could reach the
sum as steam, would be instantly sep
grated into its component gases. oxy-
gen and hydrogen.
OF the suns outer planets, Nep-
tune. Uranus, Saturn and Jupiter are
considered to be composed of gases of
slight density. The theory of life on
these would be reject for that reason
alone. Their temperatures. however,
also would render them unfit for life:
that of Neptune being estimated at
minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit; IRA
nus, minus $50 degrees; Saturn, mi
nus $50, and Jupiter, minus 27O.
Moreover, their density is another
factor; the density of Jupited, which
is the greatest of the four, is only 1.3
that of water
AS shown by its low rejecting pow
cr, Mercury, DR.. Abbot declares, like
the moon, is an airless, waterless
waste, and being besides baked by a
torried heat, tweivefold that of our
own planet, there can be no thought
Of life there.
The main requisites Of life are
light certain inorganic salts, carbon
compounds, water and warmth. Plant
and life requirements of light are
very elastic. Plants grow and ami
mails thrive on earth where light is a
'housandfold less than daylight, and
the full sun is far from being too
strong for most of them.
~ t" Mars. the scientist declares,
thorough researches have shown the
atmosphere Of that body to contain
less than one-tifth the water vapor
found on the summit Of Mount Ham
lIton in the coldest, clerrcst winter
h"htS. The solar radiation received
on Mars is only siN-tenthS Of that on
the earth. and, with no moisture blan-
E"t ~ the atmosphere to conserve the
heat. Mars temperature is estimated
10 approximate so degrees below
zero, Fahrenheit. Telescope studies
reveal no clouds on Mars, DR.. Abbot
declares, in stating that he cannot ac-
'cpt the views Of those who "claim
great things for Mars"
Il has been shown by other scien-
'iStS, h" says. that descriptions of the
Martlan markings observed by many
differ widely. As widely and contra
dctorily as would be expected Of de-
Scriptions Of the moon by persons
who had never observed our satel-
lite without a telescope. The Marian
polar caps. he believes, may be thin
deposits Of hoar frost, or frozen carr
bonic acid gas.
The light on Venus is IL that Of
the earth; spcctroscopic observations
OF star light and analysis Of star ma
t"raIS fallen upon the earth, ShoH
that the stars are composed Of exact
" the same compon"nts as the earth
Therefore, two conditions are fulfilled
on Venus
Water vapOr and water clouds ;.roI
responsible for maintaining eouabieI
temperatures the water vapor i'm
"arth's atmosphere seem to be respon-
sible for maintaining our tempera-
lures; the water vapor In earth's
atmosphere seem to be responsible for
maintaining our temperature fully sol
degrees f. above what it would be, if !