Changes

Through a small telescope—binoculars will not do, but any real astronomical telescope will—it is possible to see that Venus often does not appear round, but goes through phases like the Moon, depending on how the light of the Sun strikes it.

Through a small telescope—binoculars will not do, but any real astronomical telescope will—it is possible to see that Venus often does not appear round, but goes through phases like the Moon, depending on how the light of the Sun strikes it.

The planet Venus is about the same size as the Earth. Before explorations made by spacecraft made it clear just how harsh conditions on Venus are, science-fiction writers used to speculate that the temperature and climate of Venus might be within the range of life as we know it on Earth, and many stories have been set on Venus. C. S. Lewis' novel ''Perelandra'' takes place on Venus, and is a sort of retelling of the story of the Garden of Eden.

The planet Venus is about the same size as the Earth. Before explorations made by spacecraft made it clear just how harsh conditions on Venus are, science-fiction writers used to speculate that the temperature and climate of Venus might be within the range of life as we know it on Earth. Many science-fiction stories have been set on Venus. C. S. Lewis' novel ''Perelandra'' takes place on Venus, and is a sort of retelling of the story of the Garden of Eden.