Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-12
PROBING THE MYSTERY
The Telescopes Piercing Farther Into
the Secrets of Mars.
ADDITIONAL LIGHT EXPECTED.
Value Of the Observation Being Taken in
South America.
THE VIEWS OF LEADING ASTRONOMERS


Asaph Hall, 'by the observations taken Of
Mars at the present time. am greatly en-
couraged by the results, not only of my own
observations, but more particularly by the
obs ervations of others, and am led to be-
lieve that good many things about which
heretofore there has been an element Of
doubt will now be certainty.
'T read the cable from Arequipa, Peru,
with great deal of interest This article
was of more than ordinary interest to me
from the fact of the great advantage OF
position Prof Pickering has at Arequipa.
There he has Mars almost directly above him,
or, to be accurate, within eight degrees of
his zenith. Besides this, he is at an eleva-
tion of 5000 feet above the sea level, and
consequently looks through much less at
mosphere and mist than do here at Wash
ington, at an elevation of about 100 feet
and with the planet Mars away off to the
South.
He Saw the Blue Areas.
'I note that Prof Pickering mentions
having seen two large areas near the Equa-
tor which are permanently blue. He says
that the total size of the area is about 5OO,-
600 square miles. have seen these also,
but have not seen the small dark spot he
mentions as having appeared in the south
ern snow cap He says that this spot
heightened rapidly and that early in July
it was 1000 miles long, dividing the snow
in half
"This occurred before I began my OBJ
servations, and so am unable to corrobo-
rate what Prot. Pickering says He also
cfotoc hat 1 en0 mn sororo ,,,;I,. of ,n.,,
have melted within the last 80 days, and
that the snow has apparently been trans
ferred into the seas across land. This is un-
doubtedly the case, and, as you know, it is
because this white substance melts, which
leads us astronomers to call it snow.
81 am much grati6ed that Prof. Picker
ing, as well as myself, has observed the
dark line in the form of Y-shaped mark in
the direction of the seas. I, too saw it.
'The large dark area which Prof Picker
ing believes to be lake or sea did appear
near the melting snow, and later the out
lines of the northern sea were again seen
stretching north from the snow.
Those Green spots at the Poles.
'The green areas near the poles, which
Prot. Pickering correctly states have not
been seen for many weeks, and which he saw
near the North Pole last night, were noted
in my observations of last night also.
when I stop to think of it, it really
does seem remarkable that the same changes
noted by me last night had also been noted
by Prof. Pickering the night before in
Arequipa
"Do you expect, professor, that the
observations now being taken of Mars will
add in a measure to your positive knowl-
edge of the planet?'
SIN a certain sense, yes" replied the
professor in non-committal way. GAIL
these observations-and they are probably
being made at 80 different points in this
us more certain with regard
to Mars. We are getting better acquainted
with the planet every day, and everything
that we learn tends to strengthen our belief
that Mars is very much like our own
world"
"Do you hope, professor, to live to see
The day when we shall know whether or not
Mars is lnhabited?"
Animal and Vegetable Life.
"We have every reason to believe now
hat there is animal and vegetable life
here, but whether it will be known posi-
That would be a guess, and guessing is not |
N my line" |
"What do you think will be accomplished |
f the immense telescope now talked of is |
ouilt?"
'I have very little definite information |
With regard to this new telescope. The in
ention is, however, I understand, to make |
t several times larger than the celebrated |
Lick telescope. This, of course, would be
! great advantage, even assuming that in
he process of construction no improvement |
we're discovered.
'The Frenchman who wants to construct
his telescope, however, wants to build it
lpon a new principle, and of course there
uccess. So guess we'd better wait until
he instrument is constructed before you
ry to have me draw any more conclu-
IONS"
Interested at Harvard Observatory.
A dispatch from Boston says: Prof. E.
J. Pickering, of the Harvard Observatory,
lad read with a good deal Of interest the
l1spatch from his brother, W. II. Picker
ng, located at the Harvard branch station
n Arequipa, Peru, observing the opposi-
ion of Mars.
'@This is the first news that we have re-
eived here of my BROTHER" said he. "We
now that he went to South America with
he intention of doing the best work possible
nd do not doubt that he is doing so. The
description of the equipment which my
,rother took with him is all right with one
That is the statement that the
Usual 12-inch telescope was last year sent
o ArequIpa. Such is not the case, the in
trument still being here with u.s. The 13-
nch Photographic telescope they have is
lso visual, although I see the description
oes not say 30. The lens of this 13-inch
t one way it can be Photographic and by
urning it the other way it is made visual"
SIS this your invention, Mr.. Pickering?"
asked.
Invented the Double Telescope.
''Yes, partly So" said he. II got them
p with Mr.. Clark, the telescope maker. 1t
7as' very singular fact, though, that Sir
ieorge Stokes, President of the Royal So
Iety, and Sir Howard Grubb, of England,
reduced similar invention at the very
anne time. 1t is something that astrono-
lers had long felt the need Of The first
ever taken of star was taken
uly II, 1850, and was the result of an ex-
eriment in stellar photography under the
irection of Prof W. G. Bond. Mr.. j. A.
lipple placed sensitive daguerrotype
late in the focus of a 15-inch equatorial
elescope, which, by means Of its driving
lock, was kept pointed upon the star. The
ssult was very satisfactory.
NewsPapersunVem mdoe Tie poinI auout ene
eculiar advantages of our station in Are
uipa sufficiently clear. The air is so much
,eadier there that with his 13-inch telescope
~ brother can get better results in Are
uipa than we can up here with 26-inch
,lescope. If some man of wealth wants to
o good thing he can send big telescope
own there, and better opportunities for
bserving Mars and the other planets and
.ars will be had than ever before"
"How much would it cost to send a big
in oh falaecnpo dawn fbora0D astsd