The Study of Astronomy, adapted to the capacities of youth / In twelve familiar dialogues, between a tutor and his pupil: explaining the general phænomena of the heavenly bodies, the theory of the tides, &c.

by teacher of astronomy John Stedman

[11]. Dr. Herschell thinks it probable that the sun and fixed stars may be inhabited.

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DIALOGUE III.

Pupil.

I recollect, Sir, you mentioned last night, that the planets appear like stars. Our earth is a planet; how can it have the appearance of a star?

Tutor. If you were on the planet Venus, the earth would have as much the appearance of a star as Venus has to us.

Pupil. But Venus appears amongst the fixed stars.

Tutor. Yes. And so would the earth appear from Venus.

Pupil. How can it be?

Tutor. Because, in whatever part of the universe we are, we appear to be in the center of a concave, that is hollow, sphere, where remote objects appear at equal distances from us: so that, whether we are on the planet Venus or on the earth, in this particular the effect will be the same.