Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-30
since the time of Sir William Herschel. no

since the time of Sir William Herschel, how
ever-in 11S3-and the statement had become
current in our text books that Mars has no
moon. My search for a satellite began early
IN August. as soon as the geocentic motion OF
the planet made the detection of asatelite easy.
At first my attention was directed to faint OBJ
Jects at some distance from the planet, but all
these proving to be fixed stars on August 10th
1 began to examine the region close to the
planet and within the glare of light that sur
rounds it.
''On this night found nothing. The image
OF the planet was very blazing nId unsteady.
and the satellites being at that time near the
planet did not see them. The sweep around
the planet was repeated several times on the
night OF the 18th. and at 2:30 O'Clock found a
faint object on the following side and alittle
north of the planet. which aftcrward proved
to be the outer satellite. Before l had hardly
time to get good look at the discovery bank
OF fog swept up from the Potomac river and
obscured the vision. For several days there
after the weather remained cloudy. On the
night of August Is the sky cleared up at IL
O'Clock and the search was resumed, but the
atmosphere was very bad and nothing was
seen OF the object. which we know now was at
that time so near The planet as to be invisible.
On August 10 the object was found again on
the following side of the planet, and, il a sat
elite, was near one of its elanCahoIs. On Au-
gust IL. while waiting and watching for the
outer satellite, / discovered the inner one.
The observations of the 18th and 18th put be-
yond doubt the character of these objects.
and the discovery WAS publicly announced by
Admiral Rogers. Still. for several days the in
ner moon was puzzle. 1t would appear on
different sides of the planet III tie same night.
and at first | thought there were two or three
inner moons, since it seemed TO me very im-
probable that a satellite should revolve around
Its primary IN less time than that in which its
primary rotates. To decide this point l
watched this moon through the nights OF August
70 anu Il. and saw that there was III fact but
one inner moon. which made its revolution
around the primary in less than one-third the
time OF Its primary's rotation. ease unique in
our solar system. l named the two moons
Deimos and Phobos, the names given the
horses which drew the chariot of Mars"
REVELATIONS THAT MAY re MADE.
What discoveries will next August bring?
Why should not science hope for revelations
which will astonish the world?
Hear what Camille Flammarion saws:
"Sclence has recently made one of those I'M
expected discoveries which by a single bound
stretch the horizon OF our knOwle dye to a pro-
dlglous distance. What a strange achieve
nent, 1t concerns itself with Orbs the human
eye has never seen. which it cannot see today,
which In all probability it never will see.
.Oh. Mystery of Infinity. Man. the terres-
tial homunculus, is unable to sound thy depths
but thou cOmpassest about HIM as the ocean
swallows the grain of sand falling into its
bosom.
The night is beautiful, sparkling with suns;
translucent space, reaching into infinity, is
peopied with myriads of worlds: but all is
silent. The universe would remain forever
mute but for the interroSations OF astronomy.
and only by rare monosyllables does the mighty
sphynx respond to our questions.
1--WE have but entered the vsstibule of our
acquaintance with the universe. Let our be-
lief In the existence of but one single and soil
tary eternal L topia be los. in the we'll grounded
faith that some day we may go a little farthe,
onward, and still cry Excelsior,
Let US not complain too much. 1t is glorious
to already have our eyes open toward i'm
mensi:y and TO be able to throw glance along
the avenues of space and time. We are be-
ginning to spell out TIE first pages OF the
grand volume of the universe. There are,
other suns and other lights in the infinite.
other days and other ages besides our own, and
the earth Ii but one islet in the celestial
ocean"