TEMPERATURE OF THE PLANETS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2577, 8 May 1923, Page 4

TEMPERATURE OF THE PLANETS.

New methods of eulcnlating the temperature of the planets were outlined by Professor Donald H. Menzie, of Princeton University, in a paper submitted to the American Asti’onomical Society. He emphasised that the resxxlts reached by these methods were not final. “Whatever the amount of water vapour present in our atmosphere,” he said, “the indications are that the surface of the moon is definitely heated. Probably when the sun is at the zenith the temperature reached mxist be well above that of boiling water, and during the long night be far below the zero of our thermometer. The values for Venus and Mars ai-e very dependent upon the water vapour, and very little can be got from the observations. Both planets have an atmosphere, Mai's being very thin and that of Venus resembling ours to a certain extent. The results indicate that the atmosphere of Mars does little to shield the surface, and that the temperature at three quarter during the day may be as high as twenty or twenty-five degrees centigrade, with a large fall during the night. We must have fart tier evidence as to Venus. It is certain however, that its temperature is higher than our ear Ill’s.”