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


ten years have yielded much that is new
and important relating to Mars, our
nearest neIghboring planet. From time
10 time we hear Of the submergence Of
Martial " continents, (" of the discovery
of canals on the surface, of the
duplication Of these canals - The
names Of Professor Schiaparelli, director
Of the Milan obserya tory; of NJ. Perra-
Tin, director Of the observatory Of Nice;
of VI Terby, etc, are not unfamiliar in
this connection. Yet / doubt if even the
attentive reader of Astronomical news as it
appears in the daily press, has as clear
notion as he would desire of just what mas
been done, and Of Just what the problems
are which are next TO be attempted.
The present is perhaps good time to
sum up the question as all the observa-
tons of the last opposition are now avail
able, as the planet is to be invisible for
considerable time 10 come, and especially
as NJ Schiaparelli, the discoverer of the
most important features, and NJ. Terby,
one Of the most essiduOus observers, have
lately printed full discussions of their
own work and of that OF others.
EARLY- OBSERVATIONS OF MARS.
Fontana, Hoode and HuYghens, 1886
~ were the first to observe the spots
and markings on Mars. Their Observa-
tons were directed TO the determination
of the rotation period of the planet. A
certain spot is on the center of the disc
of Mars at 10 p. IN. Of Monday, for eX-
ample: it gradually moves away from the
center towards the western edge of the
planet; it disappears, and finally II re-
appears at the eastern edge and again be-
comes central at about II p. m. of
Tuesday The rotation time is thus
about - hours. 1t is, in fact, "a H., 81
IN 22s. The drawings Of Mars made in
1866 are easily compared with similar
drawings made to-day, and the rotation
period can be determined from about
so 900 revolutions of the planet on its
axis
We have drawings Of the planet from
Cassinl Maraldi and others about the
end ofthe seventeenth century and other
observations aud drawings by Sir William
Hersche and by Schroeder about the end
of the eighteenth, but it was not until
the observations Of Maedler lS30) that
the accurate and detailed study of the
planet $ surface began. With his small
Frauenhofer telescope of . inches aper-
ture he determined the ATTITUDES and
-longitudes of some Of the principal mark
ings Of the planet and published topo-
graphical chart of the planet. As Pro-
fessor Schiaparelli remarks, this chart of
Maedler' 5 bears the same relation to maps
of Mars that the map Of the great mathe-
matician and geograDher Eratosthenes
about 200 b. c. bears to those of the
earth.
From 1880 TO 1860 the map of Maedler
remained the standard authority. The
observations of Seechi, Dawes, Kaiser,
LasSen, Lockyer and others afforded ma
teral for the compilation of new charts.
Finally, from 1875 to the present time
the planet has been assiduOusly studied
10y the distinguished observer, Professor
Schi aparelI, who has made this subject
peculiarly his own, as well as by many
other competent observers of England
and Europe 4 few observations Of value
have also been made i'm America, but
from one cause or another the larger
telescopes OF this country have not con-
tributed as fully as they should to the
knowledge Of the surface markings. The
discovery of the two satellites of Mars by
Professor Hall at the Naval Observatory
in Washington gives America large
share in the progress OF the last decade,
however.
1t is interesting to note in passing the
effect OF the iaborS of distinguished as
tronomer on the fortunes Of his own OBJ
servatory. The astronomical establish
ments of Italy are the Oldest in the world.
II was i'm Florence that GalIleo was marx
ing his astonishing discoveries when Mi
ton visited him. Yet they have always
been poor in equipment. When SchiaRa-
relli took charge of the Royal Observa-
tory of Milan it's principal instrument was
a small telescope Of four inches aperture.
His discovery OF the asteroid Hesperia by
means of this telescope was the cause of
the purchase of Il larger instrument of
eight inches in 1915. His discoveries on
the planet Mars LED again 10 the installa-
ton of his present eighteen and half
inch refraetOT, one or the world 5 great
telescopes, in 1885. Thus the modest OBJ
seryatory of the earlier years has become
one Of the great institutions of the world
through the skill and aSsidnity and learn
ing of its chief astronomer.
THE NATURE OF THE SURFACE OF MARS.
The surface of Mars when viewed in the
telescope is a. once seen to be divided
into regions of three classes whose prin-
cipal distinction is i'm color.
The reddish regions have been called
continents, islands land; the dark green
ish regions have been called seas, oceans,
CULTS; the whitish regions near the poles
of Mars have been identified with the
polar caps of ice and snow. IN general
these latter wax and wane as they should
with The Martial winter and summer;
and in spite of minor variations il seems
TO be fairly proved that they are in fact
what they seem to be, namely, masses
of polar snow or ice. If snow and ice
exist on the planet there must be water
there. and the vapOr Of water. The spec
troscope yields independent evidence of
the presence of watery YapOr IN the
planets atmosphere also. Whether the
dark green or the reddish regions are the
oceans, seas aud CULTS has never yet been
settled by observation. The colors seem,
by terrestrial analogieS, 10 designate the
green areas as oceans, the red as land,
but this distinction is one based almost
exclusively on analogy. The encroach-
meut of green areas upon red ones is now
explained as partial submergenees of(redJ
continents by the neighboring (green)
seas. But the case may be the exact OPP
posite, aud in fact it is quite possible
very difficult affair altogether.
The limbs or edges of the planet are
always of lemon yellow hue, which tint
usually masks the sharp lines OF the
Z il nv M frapaDS understood