As Venus herself would be the most brilliant member of the celestial
host to an observer stationed on the night side of Mercury, so the earth
takes precedence in the midnight sky of Venus. For the inhabitants of
Venus Mercury is a splendid evening and morning star only, while the
earth, being an outer planet, is visible at times in that part of the
sky which is directly opposite to the place of the sun. The light
reflected from our planet is probably less dazzling than that which
Venus sends to us, both because, at our greater distance, the sunlight
is less intense, and because our rarer atmosphere reflects a smaller
proportion of the rays incident upon it. But the earth is, after all, a
more brilliant phenomenon seen from Venus than the latter is seen from
the earth, for the reason that the entire illuminated disk of the earth
is presented toward our sister planet when the two are at their nearest
point of approach, whereas, at that time, the larger part of the surface
of Venus that is turned earthward has no illumination, while the
illuminated portion is a mere crescent.

Owing, again, to the comparative rarity of the terrestrial atmosphere,
it is probable that the inhabitants of Venus--assuming their
existence--enjoy a superb view of the continents, oceans, polar snows,
and passing clouds that color and variegate the face of the earth. Our
astronomers can study the full disk of Venus only when she is at her
greatest distance, and on the opposite side of the sun from us, where
she is half concealed in the glare. The astronomers of Venus, on the
other hand, can study the earth under the most favorable conditions of
observation--that is to say, when it is nearest to them and when, being
in opposition to the sun, its whole disk is fully illuminated. In fact,
there is no planet in the entire system which enjoys an outlook toward a
sister world comparable with that which Venus enjoys with regard to the
earth. If there be astronomers upon Venus, armed with telescopes, it is