The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1874-02-09
The Planet Family.


A Lecture ON Astronomy by Prot. Proc
tor.
Mercury and Venus were so near the
sun and received so much solar light
and heat that, It might be assumed, no
such forms Of life as we know existed
on either. On Mars the suns heat was
from four 10 eight times as great as on
the earth. On Venus 1t was twice as
great winter and summer. The theory
that q rarer atmosphere might main.
tain an arctic climate even under SO
much direct heat was no longer con-
sidered tenable. OF Mars we knew
more, as II was viewed under more
favorable conditions than Venus or
Mercury. Fom their positions nearer
the sun than us the full front Of these
last two planets could never be seen.
But when Mars was In the further arc
OF his eccentric orbit there was q good
opportunity 10 study his disk. Mars
appeared 10 us somewhat rs the earth
would appear were we posted at Mer-
curry. It's surface had dark and light
portions, apparently continents and
seas. Itreyolyed in twenty.four hours.
Miraldi had noticed white streaks at the
poles, varying from time TO time in
size. Herschel saw them, and said they
were snow; one diminished as another
increased, and as one pole or another
was turned 10 the sun. The axes Of
Mars wero found 10 be inclined almost
as the earth's axes, and that meant
summer and winter. The dark and
Light portions were unchanging in
shape they must be continents and
seas. Something white at times hid
them. Was II clouds2 II was long
doubted whether we could SO far extend
the analogies Of our earth to Mars.
Until the spectroscope came there
was NO means Of telling II these white
regions were veritable clouds. The
spectrum Of the setting sun had bands
which the sun at the zenith did not
give, and these bands were attributed
70 the yapor Of water in the air through
which along the surface OF the earth the
level rays passed. Jansen and Secchi
found the same bands in the spectrum
OF fires on distant mountain. Two
months before them DR.. Cooke, OF
Cambridge, Mass, combining opserya-
tions with the spectrum and hygrome-
ter, found the bands more distinct, Us
the moisture OF the air was greater.
The moon gave no such bands. The
white spots on Mars did. Then these
were clouds. The water for clouds
must come from oceans. Clouds must
drop rain. Rain must fall on noun
tains and descend in rivers to the
oceans, and be raised again by heat,
causing air currents and water currents,
storm winds and rain clouds. So much
OF Mars seemed to correspond with
earth. What was this world like ? Well,
in surface IL was nearly one-third as
large as the earth, In volume, one-sey-
enth as large; that is, II had 66, ,000, 900
square miles OF surface. III life was
that for which planet was formedsuch
O surface could support an enormous
life. In the matter Of gravity, what
weighs q pound on earth would weigh
SIX ounces on Mars. The change would
have curious effects, though the forms
OF life, Il such existed, would be adapt
ed TO 1t. II such change took place
on earth we should all lose weight, be
more active and stronger, but less
stable. We should find ourselves stag.
gering as one walking in water. As all
objects would be lighter, building
would entail less labor, but buildings
must be more massive TO Withstand tho
winds.
a hurricane on Mars would have ter.
rible effect on life except life were
adaptod. II the force OF gravity on
earth should be lessened, the dropping
head OF the snowdrop would rise, and
the pistils and stamens displaced would
no longer produce their kind the race
Of snovdrops would die. For the
whole might OF the earth's weight was
employed in keeping at It's due slope
the head OF o snowdrop. So II life ex-
listed on Mars Il must be in forms 10 us
very strange. On that planet land and
sea we're about equal, aud the seas were
all bottle. necked. By sorndings in our
seas it had been discovered that should
the earth be drained Of water till land
and water were equal in surface, the
conformation Of the sea bottom was
such that the seas would be bottle
necked in shape. Perhaps then the
change had taken place on Mars. The
moon, smaller than the earth, had no
water OF all There was an apparent
correspondence between the size OF q
planet and the amount Of its surface
covered by water, A smaller planet,
too, was colder than q larger one, be.
cause the force Of gravity was less, and
the atmosphere consequently rarer.
The whewellite theory was that Mars
had parted with its heat and was suffer-
| ing from intense cold was midway be-
tween the populated earth and the bar
rem moon. There must be on Mars ten
times as much air as analogy dictates to
prevent IN intense cold. There was
always on the edge Of Mars disk o
whitish rim, supposed ut one time to be
summer thunder clouds. But on earth
such clouds existed only In the daytime.
On Mars they were present morn
ing and evening only, being OF the
edges Of the disk, while the
sun shone down at the centre. They
might be aggregations Of morning and
evening yapor CONCEALED into hoar.frost
and snow. The snow once fallen must
by some process get carried TO the
poles, aud great catastrophes would
take place. This theory which pointed
to the imppssibility Of Life on the planet
the lecturer confessed he was unwilling
10 accept, having made o pet Of Mars,
and pleased himself with extending to
| Il a kind Of living sympathy, holding
ii a miniature Of the earth. But when
he took up the cudgels to overthrow