On some evenings, just after sunset, I look at the stars. The brightest star in the sky isn’t a star, though. It’s Venus, our sister planet.
With temperatures nearing 900 degrees Fahrenheit, it wouldn’t be a fun place to visit. Venus is nice to look at, though.
Near the late spring, Venus disappears for a while. When she returns a few months later, she appears in the morning.
Around June 5 & 6 of this year (depending on which side of the time line you’re on), we will get to see what is called the “Transit of Venus,” the rare instance in which this bright, tiny planet appears to pass across the sun. It won’t occur again for a little over a hundred years.
These phenomena appear factual. They are rooted in observation, science, data, and reason. Their truth, however, depends upon a human, earth-bound perception.
If, for example, we all lived on the Jupiter moon of Europa, Venus wouldn’t be so bright. Much of our astronomy would be focused on the “big moon” with the “spot.” Our sky would resemble Pandora’s from the 2009 epic film Avatar.
If, when on that planet, we were a sulfur based life form that liked to vacation in 900 degree summers, Venus would seem like a nice place. By comparison, Earth may seem cold and toxic with its average temperature in the 70’s and its watery seas.
Venus would seem to disappear more frequently as it dipped behind Jupiter’s many satellites. Its transit times across the sun would also vary.
Obi-Wan Kenobi once told Luke Skywalker, “Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.”
How true…
…from a certain point of view.
