The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-07-19
INTER. PLANET SIGNALLING.
A womau's Prize Of SEQ 900 for the Person
who Shall Find WAY.

A Paris cablsgram SAYS q FRENCH nun has
beuleathed lOO.UW francs to the Academy OF
ssience TO- be given ns prIe to ANY me Who
with another world. !lanet; or star, The planet
Mars wa. suggested In tho Will as the most
convenient heavenly body on which to make
This proposition may seem ridiculous. but
i NJ, "ny the Tx 9
said a man we'll versed in starry lors.
The LEX bcIuesi to build the great tsle.
us consider the dincul'iss in the way OF this
moon may be- stated In round numbers ms
2to,O No miles. II Is fact recognized IN military
science that u man cnn be fairly distinguished
calculations regarding vision it is the general
rulo to estimate that 70 he seen II mile away
telescope I has q @asnit Wing power ., 1000 d.
ameters. Hall the distance to the moon Is
nyHs mss 9 ;Ss ss os G me
yards us the minimum size Of an object IN tn.
moon discernible. by the aid Of the telescope
dot, have made the most LIBERAL allowances
on 1sl mSss bs peree " Is an
III an beet must be $50 feet thick to be
best TO make 1t 200 feet. To give the inhnbt-
ants Of the moon IN idea that there nre intel
llgent beings on earth. II would be necessary
to place. say three objects In vieN II the
moons people let them rcllain for time ar
ranged at the angles OF Triangle Then they
Tho man in the moon. seeing those phanom-
ena. might conclude that there were inteli-
resp rn.iinE signal to the inh .btnnts OF Garth.
But. while this seems Iosslh!e. It shows how
mine with he mo t powerful te eSrope now in
use ,whether the moon is inhabited
win Mar as o the the when nrs nn Inn
earth are nearest 10 each other are IN peri
h heli"p p the DISTANCE IL IN round numbers 35;
You have iT5oOoo as the. hunter Of YER is
that represents the size Of an object In Mars
1n, i0 sy 1S hs sT n IL. hf
tho biggest telo.cope. and you have s.T5U.
the size OF the smallest object plniniy discsrni-
This is equal 70 about ilvee miles. -,
An object in the planet Mars could be rer-
s sd Ss aUee AMI inc Inc
most favorable. IL fact absolutely nsrlec,. at
miE,srherif and other SSGnnti9ns i it Vas iye
nearest to US. On the other hand. at that time
ppothinH on tho earth could be hiscs!n-d from
liue between the two and ~ the blaze
OF the sum-, ligh An inhabitaut OF that
planet, would have to wait until tho earth
was In some other part OF lis orbit.
and the distance between tho earth and
Mars would then be many times as grent AZ in
etruct an object. to he dlsc"rn bic on The earth
from Mars. say twenty miles in diameter 1t
might be circular IN form. ID her structures
not inferior In size would have o he erected ut
distances OF not less than twenty miles from
each other. Then. at:er these had remained
for time. their relative positions might be
changed. These bodies. moreover. 10 b.. clear
ly distinguished from the surface OF Mars:
must he intensely luminous solid ball q
suffice.
nuired. thor distance from each other and
the necessity OF changing their places to indi-
cate to a man in Mars that these luminous
has III nlt
are not natural phenomena The sum be-
Iu"athcd by the French nun may be seen to he
~ eatIy Inadequate The Academy of Sciences
Mt Paris may Tor his rsnson refuse to a cent
the bsIuest If the sum were offered Tor prize
essay ON some plan for ACCOMPLISHING COM
municatiop with d sister sphere it would he
moro reasonable.
In MI the ubove combinations it must not
be forgotten that all tue conditions must he
favorable. the nj mcspheIs rs we'll M The rela.
tive positions OF the earth AM Mars. Such
conditions happen only orco in n great while"