390 THE BEAUTIES OF NATURE CHAP, 
VENUS 
The true morning or evening star, however, 
is Venus —the peerless and capricious Venus. 
Venus, perhaps, “has not been noticed, 
not been thought of, for many months. It is 
a beautifully clear evening; the sun has just 
set. The lover of nature turns to admire the 
sunset, as every lover of nature will. In the 
golden glory of the west a beauteous gem is 
seen to glisten; it is the evening star, the 
planet Venus. A week or two later another 
beautiful sunset is seen, and now the planet 
is no longer a glistening, point low down; it 
has risen high above the horizon, and con- 
tinues a brilliant object long after the shades 
of night have descended. Again a little 
longer and Venus has gained its full brilliancy 
and splendour. All the heavenly host—even 
Sirius and Jupiter—must pale before the 
splendid lustre of Venus, the unrivalled queen 
of the firmament.” * 
Venus is about as large as our Earth, and 
when at her brightest outshines about fifty 
1 Ball, Story of the Heavens. 
>a). So o> *ee eee 
