Part 9/12:
A parallel case involves the speculation over a moon of Venus, prompting debates that spanned centuries. The observations made by renowned astronomers like Giovanni Domenico Cassini suggested the presence of a companion to Venus in the 1670s. Controversy ignited as various astronomers claimed to have seen a dark spot nearby, while others saw nothing at all.
By the late 19th century, the consensus leaned toward the idea that these observations were merely optical illusions or misinterpretations of known stars rather than a genuine moon. Beliefs solidified further, and after exhaustive scrutiny of historical reports, the matter was generally put to rest.