Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-11
PLANET MARS DYING.
1t Is Approaching the Condition Of the
Moon.

Prof. W. b. Pickering OF Harvard College
thinks that the planet Mars is dying. For
something like year he has been devoting a
great portion Of his time to observations Of the
planet Mars. Prof. Pickering used in his OBJ
servation the l2-inch telescope, which is soon
to be mounted at the Arequips station of the
Harvard Observatory, and he made most de-
termined efforts to add to our knowledge Of
the most interesting member Of the planetary
system.
ut is all q hypothesis after ALL" he said to a
New York Herald correspondent "There is no
definite proof. We know that there are great
patches of white in the polar regions Of the
planet and that they increase in winter and
diminish in summer. This fact il abundantly
confirmed by the photographs taken by the
Harvard College astronomers at our station on
Mount Wilson in southern California. On the
night of the 10th Of April We took an observa-
ton and on the succeeding night another one.
On the second OCCASION We found that the
white space In the southern hemisphere had
increased during the twenty-four hours by an
area nearly as large as the United States. So
you see if this white appearance is due to snow
there must have been q tremendous storm in
southern Mars on the 10th of April"
Prof Pickering remarked in answer to a
question about the northern hemisphere that
the southern half OF the planet was far more
interesting II Is in that section that the dark
places are located which are supposed to be
water. The planet, in his opinion, being older
than the earth as well as smaller, has passed
the stage in which the earth now is and is ap-
preaching the condition of the moon-in other
words, is dying. Its equatorial region lie already
practically . desert and il there be any life on
mars it is in the southern hemisphere.
The appellation canal" given by Schiapa-
reiii to the marks upon the planets surface is,
in Prot. Pickering's view, q misnomer. He
ed in, of
them, although it was only after q months
steady training Of his eye and regulating of kbo
power of his instruments thst he sss ssle 70
distinguish any. He II inclined to think that
the number of these lines may have been over
stated. but at all events he does not believe
that they contain any water. He has failed
with the spectroscope to discover any traces Of
watery yapor in the ''canals," though it would
be possible to discover it il il exists. Neither
does he believe that these ''canals" have
changed In form, a. claimed
In the course Of the conversation the profess
sor said that the general color of the planet
was dark red. On one night II appeared darker
than before, but not as dark red as New Jersey
mud. with which he had compared it
Prof. Holden, director Of the Lick Observa-
tory, says, among other things, in q telegram
to the Herald: 81 think it very important TO
emphasize the fact that no one knows anything
whatever about the actual existence or non-ex-
istence OF life on the planets. The best that
can be done 10 to inquire as to their conditions
for habitability. Even here the most earnest
efforts OF the best observers with the best teie-
scopes have accomplished very little.