Abstract
The phases of Venus have been known since Galileo (1564–1642) first reported them. They provided the clinching argument for the heliocentric theory, to any who would look through the telescope and believe the sight. In the Ptolemaic, or geocentric, view of the solar system, Venus revolved about Earth in an orbit below that of the Sun (hence the the term inferior planet). Since Venus’s motion never carries it very far from the Sun in the sky, it should not be able to reveal more than a crescent phase. Figure 7.1 reveals why this is so and why all phases are visible if Venus actually revolves about the Sun.
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© 1991 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
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Schlosser, W., Schmidt-Kaler, T., Milone, E.F. (1991). The Phases of Venus. In: Challenges of Astronomy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4434-9_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4434-9_7
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-8769-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-4434-9
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