THE FAERY YEAR 



porthole in the sky, with disk sharp as a razor edge, 

 has just dipped under the horizon. But as the day 

 wanes, Venus waxes, so that at dark she is a very 

 moon in miniature, only fierier in yellow light than 

 any moon. One time we see Venus blazing down 

 under the swarthy hill, whilst the other masterful 

 planet of the winter eve has only begun to climb the 

 sky ; but later on Jupiter and Venus are perfectly 

 set for comparison. 



Jupiter shines so large and lustrous that, with 

 Venus away, he overlords all. It is very different at 

 that earlier period that comes between the light and 

 night, which Jupiter only shares with Venus. Thus 

 on evenings differing much in atmosphere and sky, 

 both planets riding high at the same time, Venus 

 is seen at a glance to be the more brilliant. One 

 evening she burns through a clear atmosphere ; 

 another, she glows through veils of cirrostratus 

 cloud ; and at such a time, when now and then the 

 veil grows thin, the two orbs are seen for a few 

 seconds, though not in full glory. But when it 

 thickens again, we can see only a gauzy glow. 

 Venus and Jupiter alone have the power to set aglow 

 the cloud that shrouds them. Sirius and bickering 

 Vega, which is so fine in the eves of midwinter, can 

 light up only a fragment of obscuring cloud, and 

 most other stars have no effect which can be seen by 

 the naked eye. It is a rough way of estimating the 

 lighting powers of stars and planets, which by the 

 astronomer have been calculated with such exquisite 

 accuracy. 



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