Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-13

servatory to study the points just
alluded to- T long focal length of the
grOat telescope gives an image of the
planet large enough Though not more
than one-tenth of an inch in diameteP) 20
encourage the hope, at least, that the
spectra of the different regions can be
separated and separately studied. 1t
will be clear that the words continents,
seas, islands, CULTS, etc. are mere names
which il is convenient to use, but which
in fact have no certain physical signifi-
canoe. ON the standard map Of the
planet (Schiaparelli 81 these various re-
gions have received designations from
classical geography, etc, and these
names ought to be universally used, in
preference to those employed in other
charts, where living astronomers and
the friends of the chartmakers are i'm
mortalzed by havinga sea or an ocean
named for them. (These exhibitors of
bad taste, finally providing their own
remedies by running into absurd ex
tremes On a lunar map there is a
crater named Mrs. Jackson Guilt! -
and some of the recent pasteboards have
been named for the lady friends of the
discOverers!)
CHANGES OK THE SURFACE OF MARS.
y
drawings has established one fact beyond
question The markings seen by HoOke
and Huyghens are TO be seen to-day I'M
changed in form. Again, the positions
of the points on Mars which Maedler ac-
curately fixed more than fifty years ago,
are the same as their positions deter
mined to-day (their attitudes and longi-
tudes) within the small errors in
seperable from and to be eX-
pected in this kind of observa-
ton. In general then we may say that
the main features of Mars remain I'M
changed from year to year. While this
is certainly true in general, Professor
Schiaparelli has demonstrated that it is
by no means vigorously true. Many
parts of the planet S surface vary in color
from time TO time; the boundaries of the
dark regions have varied to and fro over
measurable spaces; certain of the more
delicate features seem TO be more easily
seen at one, time than at others, (though
this may well besdue TO the varying trans
parency of the earth atmosphere); and
finally the atmosphere of Mars itself must
and does produce meteorological Yaria
tons. As Professor Schiaparelli has
said: f'This planet is no desert of arid
rocks; it is living; and its life is mani
rested III complex system OF appear
ances, some of which are ON so grand a
scale that they can even be detected from
our stations on the earth. -
Examples of these changes are suffi-
GENTLY numerous To present the eYi-
dence, ii would be necessary to repro
duce here maps and drawing. As this
cannot well be done, we may just men
ton the principal kinds of variations in
passing Some of the markings vary
from the color of Glands to the color of
sea - and III fact occasionally present
the olor-chaPactefistics of both or
either indifferently. Others (notably the
island Hellas) have changed in color
from red to white, like the polar SHOWS;
and have completely changed III form
during series of years. The
continent Libya is striking exam
pie of this. Professor Schiaparelli's
own observations show progressive and
also relatively sudden changes of form
and color during the years lS77-lSSS.
This is the continent a portion of which
NJ PeTFotin at Nice announced as ''sub-
merged in May of 1888. Unfortunately
the Lick telescope WIS not in working or
der till the middle OF July 1888, aud the
appearances of May could not be reeoy-
cred. But in July our repeated obserya-