Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-09-05
AN EARTH LIKE OURS.
Seas, Lands and SHOWS of the Red Planet
Mars-Some of Earths Features Dupli-
'incinnati Illness Sta

Cincinnati Times Star.
The professor has been talking about
the July heaven again. I'm order to eX-
anime the sky intelligently, he said, lit
Is necessary to get your bearings by means
of some easily recognized marks. There
is an old rhyme which runs:
He who would scan the figured Skies
Its brightest gems to tell
Must first direct his minds eye north
And learn the bears's stars we'll.
I'm this verse reference is made to the
Little Bear and the key star of that as
well as of the whole heavens is Polaris in
the tail. TO find the pole star look for
the seven brilliant stars of the Great Bear
which outline the form of huge dippPr;
three of the seven are in the imaginary
handle and the other four are set at the
respective four edges of the supposed basin.
Follow straight line supposed to run
through the two stars OF the basin most re-
mote from the handle until your eye comes
to a rather brilliant star; this is Polaris,
and is the tail of the Little Bear. While
stars appear to move on account of the
earth rotation on its axis, it always re-
mains at one spot as far as the eye can
detect. As it is not exactly at the pole of
the heavens there is a revolution in a small
circle
Turn your eye now about half way,
from the North star 70 the southern horI-
zon and you will be looking at, part of
the heavens contained in the zodiacal left,
so-called because the sun passes through
this strip of the heavens In his annual
rounds
IF you are watching early in the even
ing now you may see Venus in the west
To- - / i &
zodiacal arch, and Jupiter just rising in
the east at the other end. Near the mid
die, to the south. you will readily detect a
body which shines with a rudy glow
quite unlike Venus and Jupiter. This is
from the sun and the nearest of the outer
planets to the earth. At their nearest APP
proach they come within $1,000, 600
miles Of each other, which may be consid-
cred as an unusal display of eighborlineSs.
Mars is interesting to US because of all the
planets il alone seems to be adapted for
the support of such life as we have on the
earth. ence, the astronomer-nOveist
always places imaginary beings upon this
globe and gives his flight of Imagination
al appearance of reality by citing the
established facts which might warrant
such conclusions. and these facts are many.
In the maps of Mars which have been ac-
curately made we see something strangely
like our earth Where the latter viewed
from Mars it would undoubtedly present a
like appearance. This Is narrative proof,
to be sure. and possibly if we could with 4,
more penetrating telescope than yet exists
bring Mars up to apparent distance OF
500 miles or so the resemblances would all
vanish as completely as in the case of the
moon. which before 1t was known to have
a surface of extinct volcanoes, was suppos-
ed to be the abode of life in some form.
Now what are these resemblance
Bright arias and shaded portions are dis
tinctly contrasted on our maps. The
shaded parts are supposed to represent
water. If 1t is water 1t covers about the
same surface relatively on Mars as on the
earth, about three-fourths of the whole.
A similarity in outline of the land surface
can be readily fancied. In a drawing
made September ., 1862, there Is coast
liue which reminds one of the Scandlnav-
ian peninsula and water near by resem-
bling the Baltic Sea.
Furthermore, there is a bright spot
about the Southern pole which Is suppos-
ed to be snow. AS would be expected
if this suppoSition is correct. 1t rapidly de-
creases during the planet summer.
Besides land. water and snow. Mars
has clouds and mists, and these have been
watched at different tunes. The land Is
generally reddish when the planets at
mosphere is clear. a color due to the alb
sorption of the atmosphere and this ae-
counts for the fiery red light by which
Mars Is distinguished IN the heavens,
we have the same appearance presented
to us in the setting sun The water Of
Mars looks green. This is the only
planet whose time of rotation has been
ascertained precisely and by unGuestiona-
( Ole methods. Mr.. Proctor has found that
this period is twenty-four hours. thirty
seven minutes and 22.i seconds which
he considers correct within three hun
dredths OF second. Its year has been
found to be about twice as long a. ours.
/ Mars has two moons, which were dis
covered In 1877. 1t is then by this inter
esting body that the name and memory Of
the Roman god of war has been Perpet-
uated