The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-03-29
APPROACH OF MARS.
The Opportunity Of a Lifetime for Successful
Observation.

On any clear evening, about this time, the
planet Mars, conspicuous by its dull, red
glow, can be distinguished. Sinking slowly
i'll the west" How many people know that
this planet. of all the members of the solar
system, is really the most interesting to
man, next to our own earth, of course.
A gentleman connected with the Uni
YersitI of California, referring to this planet
and its near approach to the earth during
the summer Of 1892, said to representative
of THE CALL yesterday: Mars is the
only one that we can feel at all sure is in
habited. Mars, we know, has land and
water has clouds and rain, and even has
polar ice which in his summer we can see
de rcasc in extent or melt But while the
people that know this may be few and hard
to find, there are vastly fewer who know
that during the summer of next year there
will be an extraordinary opportunity Tor
viewing the features oil that oft
scTutinized planet The enormous planet
Saturn, with sixteen times the dia-
meter IF Mars, is now at his nearest
approach to the earth, vet in August, 1892.
Mars will appear to have one and third
times the diameter Saturn has now, so near
will Mars come To us. In other words, an
object one mile in diameter on Mars will
show up as plainly as an object twenty-one
miles in diameter does on Saturn. 1t will
thus readily be seen what a magnificent
chance we shall have To scrutinize our i'll
tereSting neighbor; and, by the way, Mars
will not again approach so near until the
year 1909.
Most patriotic Calfornians on hearing
this Will Immediately think OF the Lick Oh
servatory and eXclam: "What au eX-
celient chan for the great 36-inch tele-
scoprW But, unfortunately, their hopes
must be dashed. Mars will then have TWEEN
ty-three degrees south defamation, and will
consequently rise So little above the south
eTn horizon that even our wonderful tele-
scope, in the clear air OF Mount Hamilton,
will be practically useless for distinguishing
minute details. How can we remedy this?
How can we secure to our astronomers a
share and perhaps a lions share in the
great discoveries that we know Will be
made? BY very simple plan. The Lick
Observatory has one OF the finest Pinch TEL
Escapes i'll the world. Mr. Burnham, one of
its astronomers, has the finest Astronomical
eye in the world. Let Mr.. Burnham
and Mr.. Keller, tue LicK's artist astrono-
mer, take the Pinch telescope and go to
Chile, where they VIII have no trouble in
finding splendid site for temporary OBJ
serYatory, and where they Will have Mars
right overhead. 1t Is curious but interest
ing fact that Mars has never been observed
to advantage here in the northern hem
iSphere with power of one thousand. Now,
with Mars right in The zenith and such Il -
inch telescope MeSSGS. Burnham and Keeler
could, under excellent atmuspherlcal condi-
ton, view Mars 10 advantage with power
of twelve hundred. Thus they could distin-
guish objects that 1t has never yet been pos
siOle TO observe.
But mere comes the difficulty in carrying
out the project. All thIS-particularly the
SportatOn of the teleScOpe-wO cost
money, amt good deal of money at that.
Not hundreds of dollars, but thousands of
dollars-say five thousand. The Lick OBJ
j. for to
its immediate requirements. How then, can
it send out any such expedition as this?
Only through the generosity of some public
spirited citizen OF our State. Just SucE
citizen rs on former occasion furnished
the funds by which Professor Holden was
enabled 10 send party to South America
to observe the SOLAR eclipse of 1SS9-90 And
did this expedition payp Most certainly
it did, and in most wonderful man
ner. 1t enabled Mr.. Schaeberle to
finally determine the nature of the
suns corona, that corona of which
the latest and best textbooks on astronomy
speak as The mysterious corona" hat
corona, concerning which Professor Young,
the great authority on the sun, admits that
he practically knows nothing. 1t also
enabled them to determine the nature of
the zodiacal light, which is now Known to
be only a continuation of the corona And
remember that all this has been accom-
plshrd in the face of the most active com
ObservatoTies in ihe world, all OF them eager
to discover something that shall distinguish
Il EN-, as this great discovery Of MI
Strawberries will certainly distinguish the
Lick Observatory.
And this is not the only point in which
the Lick Observatory has come out ahead
Of all other ObSeTYatOTieS. The astronomers
at the Lick have lately perfected an auto
matte comet-seekpr which simply beats the
world. Professor. Holden, with the great
telescope, IS taking photos Of the moon
which have never yet been equaled. And
why is it that a young observatory, where
they have scarcely yet got fairly TO work,
can beat all the old 0bSeryatOries in Europe;
| ObServatOTies where they have telescopes
| nearly as Powerful as the great Lick tele-
scope? 1t is really because the Lick OBJ
| seTvatory has. from Holden to Barnard, a
| splendid corps of astronomers. 1t is be-
| cause il is the man behind the telescope that
| counts and not the telescope Itself. Schla-
| parelli discovered the canals of Mars with an
! eiEht-inch telescope, and was laughed nj, yet
| their existence has since been proved beyond
| doubt. Then Just consider for moment
| what wonderful discoveries Burnham, with
| his eagle eyeSlght, would certainly be aOle
to make were he in Chile next year! lie
| could use a higher power than Schiaparelli
| ever used. If the Lick astronomers can
! gain such wonderful knowledge by the OBJ
! servatIOn of a solar eclipse. a comparatively
| common ana uuimpOrtant occurrence, how
| much more could they do had they chance
! to view Mars when at his nearest! We can
! thus see how important an opportunity for
! acquiring fame ana adding to human
! knowledge the Lick Observatory may miss
| If it continues TO be run on its present par
| simonicus plan, and also what a great bene-
| faction would be conferred upon science by
! the advancement of d few thousand dollars
| on the part of some wealthy Californian.
Let some such gentleman come forward and
| provide MeSsrs. Burnham and keeler with
| the necessary funds and he Will probably
| immoTtaliZe the Lick Observatory and him
| self.