Smyrna times., 1892-06-15
FACTS ABOUT MARS.
RECENT SENSATIONAL DISCOVERIES
MADE BY ASTRONOMERS.

FACIS ABOUT MARS.
RECENT SENSATIONAL DIsCOvERIEs
MADE BY ASTRONOMERS.
:, AS the coming close approach o.
Mars on August 9th will make that
planet more talked of than any other
curing the ensuing months, it may not
De Improbable to learn something OF
Its history and the almost sensational
discoveries made in regard to it.
Though the smallest of the planets
except Mercury, says a writer in the
St: Louis Republic, Mars has been more
minutely and favOrably observed than
any other heavenly body except the
moon. While Venus approaches the
earth much closer than Mars at her in
terror conjunction July this year)
yet owing to her dazzling robe of sun.
beams she is the most unsatisfactory
of all telescope objects. Mars. on the
contrary, is one of the most pleasing
Viewed through the lens, Jupiter. with
his great red spot, gorgeous belts OF
color, and numerous attendant moons
presents a nObler aspect, and the rings
OF Saturn show a far more striking
phenomenon than Mars, but while the
last Is IN reality mere dot compared
10 these monster planets, his disk is
viewed on an Immensely larger scale.
Ior whIle Jupiter is never less than
1863, 100000 miles away, Mars some
times approaches within 35,OOOOO
miles.
But the tremendous interest he pos.
sesses for observers lies in the fact
IL at beyond all other planets he has
| given positive evidence Of close resem-
blance to our earth, so that it is not
only possible, but extremely probable.
that Mars supports the same forms Of
lie as are found here. Indeed it is far
more unreasonable to assert that this
lovely and favored planet sweeps
through space devoid of animal life to
enjoy the beauties nature has so liber-
ally provided, than to speculate on its
habitation by highly civilized race of
beings For not only has Mars land
and water, oceans and continents fof
winch, by the way, exceedingly clear
charts have been made by Professor r
A. Proctor and Others) but it has an
atmosphere very similar to ours
clouds, mists, rain, snow and winds. its
day Is very near the same length and
though its year is longer the inclina.
tion of its axis to its orbits so liket that
of the earth to its orbit that the seasons
must be about the same.
The discovery of Mars is prehistoric
lie Is 80 conspicuous in color and !
brightness and in the extentand pc-
centHclty of his wanderings among the |
stars, that he could not have failed TO
attract the attention of the most Drilni- |
tive observers. But Mars varies enor- |
mously in brilliancy, at times BECOMING
very Insignificant, and then after :
long interval of years flashing cut into |
such extraordinary glory as TO have |
been frequently mistaken for n new
star by those Ignorant of astronomy.
His average distance from the earfb
at opposition is 48.000,000 miles, but
the eccentricity of his orbit is sucb
TINS distance varies from 10000 900 to
6l 100000 miles, and the proportion
OF his brightness at a favorable opposi
ton to an unfavorably one, is more
than four to one. Favorable Opnosi.
tlons always occur in August at inter
walls OF from 10 to II years, but there is
a period of still greater magnitude
occurring only once in 70 wears. In
August, l7l9, large, ruddy star was
seen shining toward the south at mid
night, far brighter than any of that
color which persons then living remem.
oered to have seen. Astronomers
knew this star to be Mars, making his
closest approach to the earth. but 10
the ignorant aud superstitious il caused
considerable alarm, as Baron de Lach
relates in his " Correspondence Astron-
unique" W
In 1898 it was observed and sun-
posed by many to be new star. bnt !
on that visit seems to have caused no
uneasiness. Its last close approach
Was in 1871, when Professor Hall of
made his splendid dis
eoYery OF the tiny moons of Mars.
The poles of Mars are covered with
brilliant white patches s-exceedinglv !
beautiful telescope objects. The one
turned toward the sun constantly de- |
1reases in size, while that turned from
It increases. More than one hundred 5
years ago Sir William Herschel reason.
ing from terrestrial analogies, as was
MS custom, associated these white 3
spots with the Arctic regions of the q
earth, though it had not then been
proven that water in any form existed !
upon Mars. Recently, through the c
wonderful experiments of Mr.. Hug. l
gins, 1t has been proved beyond a I
ioubt that these white spots are ice S
caps Nothing in the history of spec '
roscopic analysis is more remarkable S
han this demonstration of the exis- 2
,ence of water ION Mars. That we a
should be able to assert as positively d
Is CSough we possessed a bottle of S
water from the Martial seas, is one of b
he veritable wonders of science. Mr..
duggins made his discovery in 1854 "
The earth, by the way, must be a
plendid feature of the Martial heav. h
ms, and the Marsians envy us our "a
treat globe. for the surface of their a
planet is but % to 100 when compared v
With ours, and while the diameter of "
he earth is 1913 miles, that of Mars !,
but 423O. Still they have the ad- ss
'antage OF US in many ways, for an d
0Ject weighing 100 pounds here
would weigh but SO pounds there. CON II
stupendOus feats of engineer h
ng must be possible with them which N
you'd be quite out of the question il
With us, and certain theorizers have a
qVanced the idea that if organic life W
here ls the same as it is here. and II
here Is no reason why it should not
q, the inhabitants must be IA feet H.
Ugh. y,
The present approach of Mars is "
endered especially interesting, because N
nee 1877 the great Lick telescope W
as been completed. This great in W
irument will bring Mars within IL, 500 to
liies OF us, and wonderful discoveries fo
re hoped for. n