Venus is the second planet in distance from the sun and nearest to the Earth of all the planets in the solar system. Except for the sun and the moon,Venus is the brightest object in the sky.The planet is called "the morning star"when it appears in the east at sunrise,and "the evening star"when it is in the west at sunset.The surface temperature of Venus averages about 475 degrees centigrade and its atmosphere is about 95%carbon dioxide.Oxygen is very rare.The high temperature and near absence of oxygen on Venus make it unlikely that life,as we know it,could exist there.It is satirically interesting that Art Buchwald has chosen the planet Venus as the setting for his story.His satire is most deeply felt when he has the Venusian professor say that if the Venusians can learn to breathe in an Earth atmosphere,then they can live anywhere else.5 Venus is the second planet in distance from the sun and nearest to the Earth of all the planets in the solar system. Except for the sun and the moon, Venus is the brightest object in the sky. The planet is called “the morning star” when it appears in the east at sunrise, and “the evening star” when it is in the west at sunset. The surface temperature of Venus averages about 475 degrees centigrade and its atmosphere is about 95% carbon dioxide. Oxygen is very rare. The high temperature and near absence of oxygen on Venus make it unlikely that life, as we know it, could exist there. It is satirically interesting that Art Buchwald has chosen the planet Venus as the setting for his story. His satire is most deeply felt when he has the Venusian professor say that if the Venusians can learn to breathe in an Earth atmosphere, then they can live anywhere else. ■