The Venus Factor

It was Mars last month. Now it’s the turn of Venus - the second brightest object in the night sky.

Only the Moon is brighter. Venus doesn’t have any moons - and it rotates in the opposite direction to the Sun. It’s the hottest planet in our solar system, and as it does not tilt on its axis, Venus has no seasonal variation. But, it is often called Earth’s sister planet - as they are almost the same size. 

Back in 1961, the Soviet Union sent the very first mission to Venus - the space probe 'Venera 1' which lost contact with its base.

In Roman mythology, Venus was the mother of the Roman people through her son, Aeneas, who survived the fall of Troy and fled to Italy. Julius Caesar claimed Venus as his ancestor.

The Romans adapted the myth and iconography of her Greek counterpart Aphrodite - and Venus was revered as the embodiment of love and sexuality.

A selection of vintage book and pulp magazine covers continues the science fiction theme of last month’s edition of ‘After You’ve Gone’, but I have also slipped in the lives and loves of the Venuses of other genres...

And perhaps it's appropriate to sign off this collection of book covers with a 1973 edition of 'The Venus Factor' - dubbed TRULY THE WOMEN'S LIB OF SCIENCE FICTION!

It's a collection of short SF and fantasy stories written by women between the 1920s and the 1960s. Authors include Judith Merril, Anne McCaffrey and Agatha Christie...