Arizona republican., 1922-06-25
Planet Venus May Be
Inhabited Says Abbott

sity of Jupiter. which is the greatest
of the four, is only 1S that of water.
Mercury WaterIess Waste
AS shown by it's low reflectipg
power, Mercury, DIR. Abbot declares,
like the moon. is an airless, water
less waste, and being besides baked
by torrid heat, twelvefold that of
thought of life there.
The main requisites of life are
light, certain inorganic salts, carbon
compounds, water and warmth.
Plant life requirements of light are
very elastic. Plants grow and ami
mails thrive on earth where light is
a thousandfold less than daylight,
and the full sun is far from being
too strong for most of them.
AS to Mars the scientist declares,
thorough researches have shown the
atmosphere OF that body to contain
less than. one fifth the water vapoi
found on the summit of Mount Ham
ilton in the coolest, clearest winter
nights The solar radiation received
on Mars is only six tenths of that on
the earth, and, with no moisture
blanket in the atmosphere TO con-
serve the heat, Mars temperature
is estimated to approximate so de-
grees below zero, Fahrenheit. Tele-
scopic studies reveal no clouds on
Mars. DR.. Abbot declares. in stating
that he cannot accept the views of
those who claim great things for
Mars"
1t has been shown by other sci
entists, he says, that descriptions of
the Martian markings observed by
many, differ widely. As widely and
contradictorily as would be expected
of descriptions of the moon by per-
sons who had never observed our
satellite without telescope. The
Martian polar caps, he believes, may
be thin deposits of hoar frost, or
frozen carbonic acid gas.
The light on Venus is IL that of
the earth; spectroscopic observations
of star light and analyses of star ma
terials fallen upon the earth, show
that the stars are composed OF ex-
actly the same components as the
earth. Therefore. two conditions are
fulfilled on Venus.
Water yapor and water clouds are
responsible for maintaining equable
temperatures: the water vapor in
earth's atmosphere seem to be re-
sponsible for maintaining our tenn
perature fully 80 degrees f. above
what it would be if, notwithstanding
the absence of clouds, the sun shone
no more intensely on the earth. 1t
remains to be proved by scientists
that moisture conditions essential to
life prevail on Venus.
Clouds Hinder Vision
The only obstacle to deciding for
ever the habitability of Venus is her
ever surrounding envelope OF cloud.
There has never been absolute proof
that the surface of Venus has ever
been seen by an earthly observer. the
article states. Many observers have
claimed 70 have penetrated to the
planets surface but no decisive
proofs have been offered. This fact
alone, says Dr. Abbot, seems suffi-
cient to render disputative observa-
tions tending to show that the rota-
ton c. Venus about its axis is equal
to her period of revolution about the
sun.
Were this a fact scientists claim,
one face of the planet would ever
be turned toward the life giving sun,
with the result that that half would
be constantly in blistering heat, while
the other would be in EXTREMIST cold.
However, DR. Abbot declared. the
high reflecting power of Venus. about
60 per cent. demands apparently the
existence of clouds and these clouds
can hardly be of other substance
than water. If it We're a fact that
the rotation period of Venus We're
equal TO its period of rotation all
the water would be distilled from the
hot side to the cold and these clouds
would disappear
Deciding the period of rotation is