Litchfield enquirer., 1869-05-13
M ATHEsPLANET MARS

cencLial DIues may De seen the 'red planet Mars. It IS now vending its wandering way m the constellation Leo, is conspic. uous object in the eastern sky in the even. ing, and cannot fail to berecognized by its fiery hue and the serene steady light which distinguishes planet from fixed star. Ii IS especially interesting now from the fact that 1t passes its opposition on the 18th oi February, when it's enlightened hemisphere was turned towards us, and it was at its nearest point to the earth, being only at the distance of 50, 100000 miles. when it appears twenty-five times as large as when atits greatest distance, 240. ,00O miles. Beautiful as this planet is to the naked eye, and interesting as 1t is to watch its progress from star to star among the zodaical con- stellations, 1t is to the telescope observer that its most. wonderful features are re- vealed.
 Turn the telescope to wonder ruddy star, andthere comes into the field of vision the best known of all the shining points which find place in the "spangled heavens. !" This planet, though the smallest, with the exception of Mercury, of the larger plan cts of the Solar System, is the only object in the whole heavens known to present fea- lures like our own; for the telescope re- veals beyond doubt, on our nearest supe- rior neighbor, continents and seas, islands and inlets, snow and ice, in essential par ticulars corresponding to the physical fea- lures of the globe on which we live. It is perhaps the only planet whose surface is really seen, for Mercury and Venus are so protected from the intense heat of the sun by vaporous envelopes, that it is only un- der the most favorable circumstances that the truetsurface of the planets can even be faintly seen; and Jupiter and Saturn, the mighty orbs which far transcend our own in size, accompanying satellites and rings, are so distant and so covered with shadows and belts tAat we have no proof of the de- velopment on which physical life depends. The moon, too, IS destitute of anything in teresting to reward examination. It is a chaotic mass of mountain ridges, extinct volcanoes, deep caverns and Assures, ,dreary mountain scenery and desert plains; a hemisphere of desolation around which no vivifying atmosphere circulates, over whose surface no refreshing waters flow.
 It was not until the year 1866 that ob- servations of Mars began to take tangi- ble form. Cassini then determined rough ly the period of it's rotation: about the same time large spots began to be noted on it's surface, and drawings of it's princi- pal features were made by Dr. Hooke. In 1704, Maraldi improved upon these draw ings, and was the first to mark the famous spot which modern astronomers have nam ed the Hour-glass Sea. As astronomical research advanced and instruments improv- ed, succeeding astronomers turned their attention to the interesting features of the planet, constructing charts after careful ex- aminations, and including on the list of of observers the honored names of Hers chel, Maeller, Lockyer Delarne, Padre Sac chi and many others who marked on charts the result of their labors. But the views taken by the celebrated Dawes at various times from 1852 to 1864, are considered su perior to any others. Combining the best points in his drawings with some of those in the other observers, we have now Mar tial map as complete in its details as an outline map of our own globe, At re- cent meeting of the British Astronomical Society, 6 globe of Mars was exhibited by MT. Browning, on which lands and seas, and other physical divisions were delinea- ted as on terrestrial globe; these lands and seas. were laid down as surely exist ing, and are as well known and believed in by astronomers, as the oceans and conti- nents of the earth are by geographers. Combining the researches of astronomers, and. retaining those features which are con sidered as fully established. two charts have been constructed on which the Martial continents and oceans have been repre-. sented Tn the same manner as on the maps of terrestrial hemispheres.. The plan has been lately adopted of naming the great divisions after their distinguished discov- erers, and as a tribute to the lamented Dawes. his name occurs more frequently than any other A brief sketch of the to- pography, of Mars cannot be uninterest- ing An icy cap surrounds each pole, va rying in extent according to the progress of the season. and around each of these polar caps extends polar sea- Four great continents occupy the equatorial regions; between two of them flows the celebrated Hour'glass Sea- whole oceans, straits and inlets separate the continents and inclose the islands very much as on the surface of our planet. But If the correspondence is marked between the two planets, the di- vergance is no less so.A A remarkable fea- ture in the planet Mars is the prevalence of winding inlets and bottle necked seas. There is one particularly to be noted. It is called, Higgins Inlet, and is long forked stream too wide to be compared to terrestrial river,, and extends for three thousand miles from its two-forked com mencement to the point where it flows into the sea. There are two seas so closely re. sembling each other that if it were not for their enormous dimensions, we might de. tect the evidence of artificial construction. There are also two flask shaped seas, which have the saned marked similarity.
 On the earth the oceans are three times as extensive, as the continents: on Mals the proportion, of land and water is about equal, and so strangely mingled that a tray- eller could visit every part of the planet without leaving the element on which he commenced his journey or by coasting along ~oceansy circumnavigating islands. passing through open and bottle-necked seas and sailing through straits, he could traverse coast line of 30,OOO miles always in sight of land, and generally with view of land on both sides. We can easily see reason for labyrinthine- arrangement and its adaptation to the necessities of the planet The most careful research has failed tolfind trace of a satellite. and thera. fore tides must be comparatively unknown
 for the effect of the sun in produeinp than, would be almost unappreciable. Sincetha solar tide. depends on the relation wb;ch the planets diameter bears to his distan ca from the sun, and our solar tides are very
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