-EET.IH. 'FIRMAMENT OF THE FIXED STARS. 37

•never turned directly towards us, but when heis so near the sun as to be hid in his beams’.And from this it is plain, that he shines not byany light of his own, as the fun does, or other-wise he would certainly appear, at all times,round like that luminary.

Venus, the next plane's above Mercury, iscomputed to be sixty-eight millions of milesfrom the fun, and by moving at the rate offeventy-six thousand miles an hour, site com-pletes her annual revolution in 224 days and17 hours, or about seven months and a half.Her diameter is seven thousand seven hundredmiles, and her diurnal rotation on her axis, is per-formed in 23 hours and 22 minutes. When thisplanet appears to the west of the fun, she risesbefore him in the morning, and is called theMorning Star; and when she appears to the east-of the fun, she shines in the evening, after hesets, and is then called the Evening Star; beingin each situation, alternately, for about 290days: and during the whole of her revolution,she appears, through a telescope, to have allthe various shapes and appearances of the moon.

The next planet above Venus, in our system,is the Earth. Its distance from the fun isninety-five millions of miles, and by travellingat the rate of fifty-eight thousand miles an hour,its annual revolution is performed in 365 days,3 hours, and 49 minutes, or the space of a year;

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