large/10361/astoundingstories18_1605_librivox_64kb_mp3/astounding_stories18_13_various_64kb_64
large/10361/astoundingstories18_1605_librivox_64kb_mp3/astounding_stories18_13_various_64kb
English
10361
On the dark margin of this belt are the "ringstorms," violent thunderstorms that never cease. ON THE DARK MARGIN OF THIS BELT ARE THE RING STORMS VIOLENT THUNDER STORMS THAT NEVER CEASE
 solar system. But it was not always thus. This astounding prestige had to be earned with blood and courage, in many a desperate and lonely battle; had to be snatched from the dripping jaws of death. * * * * * Olear checked over his flying ovoid, got his bearings from the port astronomer, set his coordinate navigator and shoved off. Two weeks later he plunged into the thick, misty atmosphere on the dark side of Mercury. Ancient astronomers had long suspected that Mercury always presented the same side to the sun, though they were ignorant that the little planet had water and air. Its sunward side is a dreary, sterile, hot and hostile desert. Its dark side is warm and humid, and resembles to some extent the better known jungles and swamps of Venus. But it has a favored belt, some hundreds of miles wide, around its equator, where the enormous sun stays perpetually in one spot on the horizon. Sunward is the blinding glare of the desert; on the dark side, enormous banks of lowering clouds. ERIOUS DISTURBANCE ANYWHERE IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM BUT IT WAS NOT ALWAYS THUS THIS ASTOUNDING PRESTIGE HAD TO BE EARNED WITH BLOOD AND COURAGE IN MANY A DESPERATE AND LONELY BATTLE AND TO BE SNATCHED FROM THE DRIFTING JAWS OF DEATH ELI CHECKED OVER HIS FLYING OVOID GOT HIS BEARINGS FROM THE PORT ASTRONOMER SET HIS CO ORDINATE NAVIGATOR AND SHOVED OFF TWO WEEKS LATER HE PLUNGED INTO THE THICK MISTY ATMOSPHERE ON THE DARK SIDE OF MERCURY ANCIENT ASTRONOMERS HAD LONG SUSPECTED THAT MERCURY ALWAYS PRESENTED THE SAME SIDE TO THE SUN THOUGH THEY WERE IGNORANT THAT THE LITTLE PLANET HAD WATER AND AIR ITS SUNWARD SIDE IS A DREARY STERILE HOT AND HOSTILE DESERT ITS DARK SIDE IS WARM AND HUMID AND RESEMBLES TO SOME EXTENT THE BETTER KNOWN JUNGLES AND SWAMPS OF VENUS BUT IT HAS A FAVOURED BELT SOME HUNDREDS OF MILES WIDE AROUND ITS EQUATOR WHERE THE ENORMOUS SUN STAYS PERPETUALLY IN ONE SPOT ON THE HORIZON SUNWARD IS THE BLINDING GLARE OF THE DESERT ON THE DARK SIDE ENORMOUS BANKS OF LOWERING CLOUDS
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