Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-05-03
HE OPPOSITION OF MARS.

- SSsfhvI N ~.
tP-on Apple;en's Journai.l
Brilliant With ruddY ight among the glitter
ing stars that bestud the sky, may now be seen
'.the red planet Mars" II is in the constella-
ton Libra, Is a Conspicuous object in the east
ern sky IN the evening, and cannot fail to be
recognized by its fiery hue and the serene and
steady light that distinguishes planet from q
hxed star 1t is especially interesting at the
Sresent time from the fact that it will reach its
opposition with the sun on the 9TH of April.
At this time, line drawn from the center of
the sun will pass through the centers OF the
earth and Mars. Its whole emil ghtened surface
will be turned toward the earth, and it will be
at its least distance from us fifty million miles,,
appearing twenty-five times a large as when at
It's greatest distance 1.-TWO hundred and forty
million miles). The opposition Of Mars, occur
ring once in about two years, gives the most
favorable conditions for obser walton of the
planet; and astronomers all over the world will
ma an interesting object of investigation in
examining its weil.known features with tele-
scope and sPectroscOpe, and all the assistance
that the progress of scientific knowledge zring
the last two years has developed.
Beautiful as this planet is to the naked eve,
aud interesting As it is to watch its rapid pro-
gress from star to star among the zodiacal con-
stellations, IL II to the telescope observer that
its most wonderful features are revealed. Mars
though the smallest with the exception of
Mercury of the large planets of the solar sys-
tem is the only object in the whole heavens
known to present features like our own; for the
telescope shows, on our nearest superior neigh
Dor, continents and seas, islands and inlets,
Show ana Ice. In esSenuaf particulars cores
p0nding to the physical outlines of the globe on
which We live. 1t Is probably the only planet
whose surface is really seen-for Mercury and
Venus, our interior neighbors, are so protected
from the heat of the sun by vaporous envelOps
that 1T is only under the most favorable circum-
stances that the true surface of the planets can
even be family seen; and Jupiter and Saturn
the mighty Orbs which far transcend our own
slze--sateliites and rings, are probably in no
condition At present to sustain animal life. The
moon, too, is destitute of anything interesting
to reward examination. 1t is a chaotic mass of
mOuntain-ridges, extincti volcanoes, deep
caveTns and assures, dreary mountain scenery.
and desert plains-a hemisphere of desolation
around which no vivifyiRg atmosphere circu-
rates, over whose surface no refreshing waters
flow.
1t was not until the year 1866 that observa-
tons on Mars began to take tangible form.
Cassni then determined roughly the period of
its rotation. About the same time large spots
were noted on its surface, and drawings of its
principal features were made by DIR. Hooke.
In li0, Maraldi improved upon these drawings
and was The first TO mark the famous spot which
modern astronomers have named Hour Glass
Sea. As astronomical research ad yanced. and
instruments improved, succeeding astronomers
turned their attention to the interesting feat
ures of the planet, constructing charts, after
careful examination, and including on the list
OF observers the hOnOred names of Herschel.
Nader, LOckyer, DE La Rue, Secchi, and many
others. But the views taken by the celebrated
Dawes, al various times from 1852 to 1864. are
considered superior to any others. Combining
the best points in his drawings with those of
other observers, we have Martial map as COM
plete in detail AZ an outline map of our own
globe MI. Browning has constructed Martial
globe on which lands. seas, and other physical
divisions, are delineated on terrestrial globe.
These lands and seas are as familiar to astrOno-
mers as the continents and oceans of the earth
are 10 geoEraPhers. Two charts have also been
constructed on which the Martial outlines are
represented in the same manner as on the maps
OF terrestrial hemispheres. TheSMarttal divis-
ions are named for their discoveries; and, a a
tribute to the lamented Dawes, his name oc-
ours more frequently than any other.
brief sketch of the topography of Mars can
not be ullntereStlng. An Icy cap surrounds
each pole, varying in extent according to the
progress Of the season; and around each of
tpese polar caps extend polar sea. Four
great continents occupy the Equatorial regions:
between two Of them flows the celebrated flour
Glass Sea; while oceans, straits, and inlets sep
arate the continents and enclose the islands,
much as on the surface of our planet. But, if
the correspondence Is marked between the two
planets, the divergence Is ne less 50. A notice
able feature in Mars is the prevalence of wind
ing nlets and bOttle-necked seas. one of these,
called Higgins Inlet, is a long, forked stream,
too wide to be compared to a terrestrial river,
which extends for three thousand miles from Is
two-forked commencement TO the point where
il flows into the sea. There are two seas so
closely resembling each other that, if it were
not for their enormous dimensions we NIL ht
fancy the evidence of artificial construction.
ihere are also two flask. shaped seas, which
have the same marked similarity.
On the earth the oceans are three times as
extensive as the continents On Mars the prO-
portion of land and water is about equal, and
so strangely mingled that a traveller could visit
every part of the planet without leaving the
element on which he commenced his journey;
or by coasting along oceans, circumnayigatng
islands, passing through open and bottle-
necked seas, and sailing through straits, he
could traverse coast line of thirty thousand
miles, always in sight OF land, and generally
easily see reason for this labrinthian arrange
ment and its adoption to the necessities of the
planet. The most careful examination has
rallied to detect a satellite; therefore tides must
be comparatively unknown, for the effect of
the sun in producing them would be almost
unappreciable. Since the solar tide depends
on the relations which the planets diameter
bears to Its distance from the sun, and our solar
tides are very small with a diameter Of eight
thousand miles and distance from the sun of
ninety-one million five hundred thousand miles,
II may readily be seen how little influence the
sun can exert on the Martial waters when the
diameter of the planet is less than FIVE thous-
and miles and its distance from the sun one
Numbered and fifty million miles. This arrange
ment OF water in Mars would promote a free
circulation by evaporation and downfall, while
oceans would become stagnant under such con-
diti0ns of existence.
Such are some of the physical features of
Mars resembling those OF our globe, but the
parallelism does not end here. Its day Is about
thirty-seven minutes longer than ours; its incli-
nation to the ecliptic il little greater, giving
nearly the same proportion to the seasons; its
revolution round the sun gives it q year not
quite twice as long as ours; and its size is much
more neariy like our own than that OF the
greater Orbs which are the glory Of the system.
But ii is to the talismanic power of the spectre
scope that We are indebted for the certainty of
what before had only been probability. MIR.
Higgins subjected the planet at its opposition
in 1861 to q searching scrutiny by spectroum
analysis and by the telescope. He proved that
the red color Of Mars is not due to an absorp-
tive power in its atmosphere, but to a ruddiness
OF color Of certain ingredients in its soil; that
its atmosphere contains gases and vapors like
our own; that clouds float through it and make
beautiful its evening sunset and morning sun
rises; and that fierce storms sweep over its
surface and obscure the view to the telescope
vision.
Astronomers delight to watch the changes
around
g The snowy poles of moonless Mars,
In summer the ice-bOund circle is reduced to a
range within ten degrees of the pole; i'm winter
the circle enlarges to forty-fve degrees, and the
widespread tracts Of snowy light cover its sur
face as in Our northern winter. 1t Is true our
Martial neighbors have only a quarter OF the
light and heat which our more favored position
bestows upon Us, but Tyndall says in his
80 Radiation OF Heat that a slight increase of
certain vapOrs in the atmosphere would com
pensate the planet for its increased distance