The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1926-03-01

Yes, even so. Time and place
are all-important in the story of
the stars; so l will begin by saying
that it was at Miami the midd of
November in the year 1920. sat
on a N. E. End ST., Miami, porch
facing the southwest. The sun
had set and nearly half way up in
the sky, ere the shades of night
had gathered, was revealed mag
nifieent star.
To my left reposed the gray
waters of Biscayne bay, on whose
outer rim the m;sts were dimly
seen. The Households in the near
foreground were still plainly visi-
bic. Around me were the beauti-
full homes of Miami, palm-encircl-
ed, the red or green roofs above
the gray stuceo or white concrete
walls, and the shrubbery of h:bis-
Gus and oleander, now sparsely
lowered, joining their haes to
form a pleasing picture.
We build our houses without
much regard to the view of the
heavens. The ind:scrim:nate
planting of trees shuts US away
from what remains of the scene.
Our ignorance does the rest. The
science of Astronomy becomes a
sealed book, as little to be under
stood as the FIJI language.
But here the stage is set. Any
planet in the heavens is an evening
star. Possibly along the horizon
little Mercury may be revolving,
but he is invisible on account of
the houses and trees. Venus,
queen of all the stars, holds the
attention of the beholders.
Evening after evening, the star
was there. How long it had held
that position in the sky / do not
know; but as week followed week,
November giving place to Deem
Der; then to January and Febru-
airy, it began to seem uncanny.
The roomer who had lately ar
rived from Minnesota announced
that she heard there was star
in the sky which had never been
seen before. The tourist from
Philadelphia said it was that big
star you could see so early in the
evening; she had never seen it be-
fore.
"But that big star is Venus, the
evening star. The reason we see
it for such length of time is be-
cause we are travelling around the
sun at the same time, and so keep
company for a while. We will part
before long, as the orbit of Venus
is smaller than that Of the earth.
The reason you never saw it be-
fore is because you are now To-
Gated favorably for a continued
observation. Heretofore the trees
and tall houses cut off your view. "
Not long after this conversation
took place in February, it was
noticed that the planet was reced-
ing from view. Its greatest east
ern elongation had taken place
also its greatest height above the
western horizon, Al degrees.
The diameter of Venus is 7,700
mics, that of the earth 1920
miles. The siderial revolution 225
days, as compared to 365 Ia of
the earth.
The atmosphere of Venus is
more dense than that of the earth,
and causes more reflection of
light, hence the greater brilliancy
of this planet. This density has
prevented any discovery of the
nature of the planet below its at
mosphere. Venus is more per.
pendicular toward the sun than
the earth, hence has less varied
changes of temperature-at the
poles constant cold; in the temper.
ate zones always temperate, and
the equator, hot.
Like the moon, Venus has
phases.
To the ancients this planet was
known as Hesperus, the evening
star.
As the morning star it was Lu-
offer, or the i.ght-bearer. Through
some misapprehension Milton
makes Lueifer the devil who fe.l
from heaven, in Paradise Lost.
There is a very sweet flower